


Neh, Shizu-chan, Have You Ever Heard of Silent Hill?

by Kittycatkyla23



Category: Durarara!!, Silent Hill (2006), Silent Hill (Video Game Series)
Genre: Attempted Murder, Blood, Burning, Crossover, Gore, Horror, Insomnia, Monsters, Murder, Nightmares, Sleepwalking, noctambulism, somnambulism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-06-18 03:06:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 57,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15476268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittycatkyla23/pseuds/Kittycatkyla23
Summary: Reader Discretion Advised.--Izaya has nightmares. Nightmares that lead him, with Shizuo in tow, out on an investigation to Silent Hill. However, things don't go as planned for the duo. Instead of a plain ghost town, Shizuo and Izaya find themselves in a strange place filled with fog, Pyramid Heads, and Nurses.-





	1. Warning

**Warning: This story contains horror, descriptions that may be considered disturbing, murder, and gore. Reader discretion advised.**

**This is a Silent Hill/Drrr!! crossover. For those that know of Silent Hill, this story will be a mixture of the first game and the first movie.**

**For those that do not know of Silent Hill, the goal of the producer and director of the movie was to disturb, not to scare.**

**With that in mind, that is also my goal. I wish to disturb, not scare. I will be making my own creatures every once in a while so if one does not recognize it, it's probably mine.**

**I have played the games and own both movies, however, to be on the safe side, I've watched countless play-throughs. I believe I know my stuff but if something's wrong, go ahead and let me know.**

******There shall be no Shizaya/Yaoi in this story. Because the only time Silent Hill mentions sex is the rape scene with the Janitor (which was only implied in the movie) and the reason James killed Mary (SPOILER!!) was due to sexual frustration. I shall be sticking to that aspect. There will be absolutely no lovey-dovey between Shizuo and Izaya, and only 10% of sex in this story.**

**But for now, enjoy.**

**Kittycatkyla**


	2. Prologue: Are You Okay?

Izaya huffed as he ran, his legs aching and heart pounding. He looked over his shoulder, his assailant out of sight. But Izaya knew that he was coming. The trail of blood coming from the raven's arm was making sure that the killer could find him.

Izaya faced front and gasped. He skidded to a stop, the floor in front of him gone. Izaya looked down, a burning mine shaft his only escape route. He stared down, looking for some way to climb, but every metal beam seemed like it would break or be too hot to touch.

**_'Shit. What do I—eh?'_ **

Izaya stared down at the floor, nearly a two hundred food drop. But Izaya could see as clear as day that there was a little girl staring up at him.

Izaya jolted as he turned around from hearing a metallic, inhuman groan behind him. The giant seven foot man with a metal pyramid for a head stood behind him, raising his scalpel-like blade over his head.

Izaya screamed and leaped back. The blade barely missed Izaya, swinging in front of him and leaving a line on his chest.

Izaya screamed even louder as he fell down the burning mine shaft, terror taking over his chest that he was going to fall to his death. He reached out, desperate  to grab anything. He gripped a chain, the metal hot, burning, melting his skin and he screamed in pain but he held on as he slid down the hinges. The chain ended more than five feet before the ground, but the raven wasn't prepared for the abrupt end and flailed as he fell through the air. He landed on his side, the air being knocked out of him. He gasped and coughed, steam coming from his hands and he rubbed his head into his arm. He was near in tears from terror, despair, and pain.

But as he lied there, he began to hear someone else crying. A girl crying.

Izaya looked up. And sure enough there was a little girl huddled on the ground with her face in her knees.

“H-hey...” Izaya groaned. He went to push himself up but automatically fell on his side as his hands ached. He looked at them, horrified to see they were severely burned and nearly skinned.

The girls cry grew louder. Izaya looked up at her. He groaned as he pushed himself up by his elbows to his feet.

“Hey.” Izaya said, walking over, sweat falling down his face as the heat seemed to intensify “What are you doing here, sweetie? It's dangerous.”

The little girl almost automatically stopped crying as she turned around slowly. Her ragged black hair did nothing to conceal her face, which was just as dirty. Her blue school uniform was dirty as well, with a tear here and there.

“Are you okay?”

“...I'm scared...”

Izaya nodded at her, looking around for a way out.

“You're bleeding.” The little girl said.

“I know.”

Izaya smiled thinly at seeing an exit door.

“Follow me.”

“Can I hold your hand?”

“Ah...” Izaya looked down at her outstretched hand. “My hands are hurt.”

The girl looked downcasted.

“Once I wrap them then you can. For now, hold onto my coat, okay?”

She brightened at that as she grabbed Izaya's fur-trimmed hemming.

Izaya smiled down at her as he led the way to the exit.

As the two stood in front of the empty entryway, a metallic, inhuman roar barreled down the mine shaft. Izaya turned around to see his pyramid headed assailant falling down the mine shaft after him. He landed flat on his feet, shaking Izaya and the girl off their's.

“Izaya!” The girl cried.

Izaya reacted automatically as the molten metal grates were unhinged by the monsters landing, causing them to touch something flammable and spark a fire that was quickly growing in intensity. Izaya wrapped his arm around the girl and pulled her to his body. His hands, cut arm, and sliced chest protested to the act, but Izaya ignored it to the best of his capability as he stood with the girl in his grasp and ran.

The fire followed quicker then the monster, likely at Izaya's heels, as he ran down the exit hall. The hall seemed to trail forever until finally Izaya saw the door. His heart flared with hope as he reached for the knob.

And as soon as his hand touched the knob, his heart plummeted in despair.

**_'It's locked!'_ **

Izaya turned around to retreat but his exit was cut off by fire. He gasped and back-stepped, pressing against the door.

**_'We're trapped!'_ **

Izaya looked around desperately for an escape.

And he spotted one. An air-vent in the middle of the hall.

But it was too small for him. The little girl could get in, if the fire didn't burn them on the way. However, there seemed to be no escape for Izaya. The fire was coming closer and closer by the second, making the vent escape even more dangerous.

But Izaya couldn't let this girl die because of him.

So he ran to the fire.

Sweat drizzled down his face as he got closer to the flames, standing under the vent. He put the girl down against the wall, using his own body as a blockade. He reached up and knocked the vent out of place. Then he grabbed the girl and lifted her up.

His arm and hands burned in pain, but he placed his hands under her black shoes and lifted her up. She clamored into the vent, then turned around to stare down at Izaya.

Fire wrapped around Izaya's ankle. He screamed and ran away to the locked door, fear swelling in every organ as the truth of his situation dawned on him.

He was going to die.

The little girl stuck her head out to stare at him.

“Get away!” Izaya yelled. “Get out of here! Now!”

The girl obeyed, disappearing into the vent.

Izaya smiled thinly, knowing that the little girl was most-likely going to die now that she was on her own.

But as the fire engulfed Izaya's legs, he started to worry about himself. The heat was excruciatingly painful. He tried to back away but his back was already pressed against the wall.

Izaya's body was engulfed in absolute pain. Every patch of skin was slowly burning and blistering. Izaya screamed in pain as his clothes fell off his body in burnt heaps.

And to make matters worse, Izaya could see the pyramid head man walking through the fire as if it wasn't there.

 ** _'Please kill me.'_** Izaya begged. **_'It hurts so much. Please...'_**

Izaya could only scream in pain as the man came closer and closer to him. Izaya's eyes widened in fear and relief as the man raised his blade over his head.

Izaya continued to scream.

* * *

 

Izaya's eyes flared open as he continued to scream. Once done, he gasped loudly to catch his breath then exhaled as he scrambled back.

A woman sat in front of him, holding him by his shoulders.

It took a moment but Izaya recognized her.

“N-Namie-san...”

Izaya looked around himself. He sat in the entry hall of his apartment, the automatic locked door closed and pressed against his back.

“You were sleep-walking again.” Namie stated.

“Duly noted.” Izaya said, chuckling nervously as he stared at the secretary.

As Namie stood, Izaya held his hand out to her, silently asking for help due to his legs still shaking.

Namie obliged, pulling the raven to his feet. She stared at his shaking legs with indifferent scrutiny, but she did lend him a shoulder as they walked into the living room, where Namie had Izaya sit down on the couch.

“I'll make some tea.”

Izaya nodded as he tented his hands and pressed them to his face as he leaned forward on his elbows.

As he rubbed his thumbs against his palms, he paused. His palms weren't smooth. They were ragged and bumpy.

Izaya pulled his hands away and looked at them.

And was absolutely horrified by the sight.

His hands were scarred as if he had burnt them badly.


	3. Chapter 1: Never Took Him For An Insomniac

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW's, if anyone wants to read ahead, instead of waiting for me to upload, I've posted this on Fanfiction months ago (still incomplete currently--as of 2018). https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12144233/1/Neh-Shizu-chan-Have-You-Ever-Heard-of-Silent-Hill

Shizuo stared out over the guard rail of the highway, Celty sitting next to him. They had been out for nearly an hour, just talking to each other.

 _:Do you know if Izaya's alive?:_ Celty typed.

“Hah? What do you mean?”

_:Izaya came to Shinra about four months ago. He wanted some drugs and when Shinra said he didn't have them, he got really angry and desperate.:_

“Pfft, he's addicted. Never thought he'd sink to _that_ level.”

_:I haven't seen him since then.:_

“Well, I haven't either. If I had, I would have beaten the shit out of him.”

_:...True.:_

“What was the drug?”

_:Some sleeping pill. Shinra said it was taken off the market because it was causing people to have lucid dreams.:_

“Why would he want that?”

_:I don't really know. He said something along the lines of it was stopping him from having a reoccurring nightmare. And that now he's not taking it, he can't sleep.:_

“Hah.”

_:At least that's what I got from it. He was screaming a lot.:_

“Hmm. Weird. Never took him as an insomniac.”

_:I think there's a lot we wouldn't take him as.:_

“Heh, true.”

_:Do you think he's alive?:_

“Probably. He's a slippery little flea—” Shizuo turned around and his eyes widened.

A raven-haired man was walking on the other side of the highway, his black fur-trimmed coat over his shoulders.

“Well, speaking of the devil.” Shizuo growled as he cracked his knuckles.

Izaya continued walking, not taking notice in anything but where his feet were going, then came to an abrupt stop. He turned and climbed over the guardrail of the highway. He stood on the edge of the road, his hands holding onto the railing.

“What is he doing?” Shizuo cocked a brow.

* * *

 

Izaya stood on the edge of a mine shaft, holding onto the railing behind him. Tears streaked his cheeks as he didn't know where to go now. He could hear the screeches of the inhuman children who were pursuing him. He looked down at the mine shaft, seeing a ladder on the other side. He knew he could never make that jump but it was either attempt and maybe die or don't attempt and definitely die.

Izaya could hear the screeches drawing closer. He made up his mind. He had to...

* * *

 

“Is he going to...” Shizuo started.

Shizuo looked down the road to see a semi-truck driving towards them.

“Izaya!” Shizuo yelled.

Izaya let go of the guardrail.

* * *

 

Izaya let go of the railing and leaped.

* * *

 

Shizuo reacted quickly. He jumped over the guardrail and ran across the highway. The trucker honked at him and Izaya as his brakes screeched.

Shizuo wrapped his arms around Izaya and tackled him over the railing.

* * *

 

Izaya's hands remained outstretched as he fell farther and farther down the mine shaft.

His fingers curled around the bars.

But his legs slammed into the metal tower. His hands slipped with the momentum while his legs were entangled in the bars.

Hanging from his trapped legs, Izaya screamed in pain.

* * *

 

Izaya struggled in Shizuo's grip, squirming lazily, not making much of an attempt to loosen Shizuo's hold.

Once the road was clear, Celty hopped her bike over the railings and parked it on the walkway, then dismounted and joined Shizuo.

“What the hell were you thinking, flea?!” Shizuo yelled at the squirming raven. “You trying to kill yourself?!”

Izaya only groaned and squirmed.

“Answer, you damn flea—”

 _:Shizuo, look!:_ Celty shoved her phone in Shizuo's face. _:He's not awake.:_

Shizuo's eyes widened. He looked down at Izaya and true enough the raven's eyes were closed.

“What the hell? What do we do then?” Shizuo said.

The two looked up at each other.

* * *

 

“Where's Celty and Shizuo?” Anri asked. “They're missing the hotpot.”

            Shinra shrugged, going to possible reasons as to why they were late. One scenario being Shizuo grunting and groaning on top of his lovely Celty who was goading him on by digging her nails into his shoulders.

            “Shinra!” Shizuo yelled.

            Shinra jolted, about to yell,”I wasn't thinking anything!” but restrained as Shizuo walked in with a raven-haired man in his arms, Celty following.

            “Why'd you bring him here?!” Kida groaned.

            “Shut it. He's passed out.”

            “Seems awake to me.” Kida crossed his arms as Izaya  kicked his legs slightly.

            “He's sleepwalking.”

            Mikado and Kadota cleared the couch as Shizuo put the raven down. Izaya continuously squirmed and kicked, his legs shaking as one hand held his chest.

            “Um, shouldn't we wake him?” Mikado started.

            “No.” Shinra said. “Its possibly dangerous to wake someone when they're sleep-walking. They could have a heart attack from the shock.”

            “Then by all means~~~” Kida sneered.

            “Knock it off, Kida.” Kadota said.

            “What are we supposed to do then?” Erika said.

            “Just wait.” Shinra said. “Make sure he doesn't go anywhere.”

            “And if he doesn't wake up?” Shizuo asked.

            “Everyone eventually wakes up.”

            “I mean before we leave. What if he sleepwalks when we leave?”

            “I'm sure he'll be fine. As long as we lock the doors he shouldn't go anywhere. Sleepwalkers typically only walk, not grab door knobs or anything like that. But it really all depends on the dream. It's been proven that if a door is locked in the real world, it'll somehow be incorporated to the dream, for example as a wall or another locked door.”

“If that's the case, how'd he get out of his apartment?” Mikado chimed in. “Doesn't he have coded locks?”

Everyone fell silent as they looked down at the sleeping raven, his eyes moving under his eyelids.

* * *

 

Izaya panted as he ran through the hallways, his legs in obvious pain but he couldn't allow himself to stop. The demented children that chased him were hot on his damaged heels. He had to keep running till he could hide.

Izaya glanced over his shoulder, seeing nearly twenty twisting, withering gray children coming closer and closer.

The raven faced forward.

And his eyes widened.

A little black-haired girl stood at the end of the hallway, Izaya getting closer and closer.

“Run!” Izaya screamed.

The little girl stood her ground.

And the raven stared in horror as an armless, faceless man with a gaping hole in his chest stood behind the girl.

The creature screeched as it leaned back.

“Look out!” Izaya yelled.

Izaya pushed harder and made it just in time to push the little girl out of the way. At the same time, the creature let out an array of black sludge from it's chest. The slime flew through the air and landed on Izaya.

The raven stumbled and tripped as the unknown fluid got into his eyes. He yelled in pain as he rubbed them.

Then he screamed in agony as the fluid started to burn.

* * *

 

Izaya screamed, making everyone jump. The raven rolled on his side, his legs kicking in pain against the couch as he held his face.

“I-I can't—”

* * *

 

“I can't see! It burns, aaaaAAAHHH!” Izaya screamed, rubbing his face and eyes wildly. “HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE—”

* * *

 

“HELP ME!”

* * *

 

“Hel—” Izaya's plea was cut as he screamed in pain when razor claws slashed his back.

Izaya scrambled to stand, stumbling blindly forward. He fell on his chest, unsure of where he was or where he could go.

A soft hand fell on his back over the cuts. Izaya flinched, blood streaming his cheeks instead of tears. He looked up but could see nothing but black. But he found comfort in the hand, wishing for any form of warmth.

But all too soon, the hand was gone and was replaced with razor sharp claws.

Izaya kicked and squirmed as the claws cut and stabbed him. Pain overtook his whole body, blood pooling around him.

All Izaya could do was scream.

* * *

 

Izaya's eyes flared open, his scream tearing through his vocal cords. He saw multiple people sitting over him and the terror of his nightmares held him tightly. The demented children with their twisted faces were reaching for him, razor claws ready to tear him apart.

Izaya screamed and struggled wildly, kicking them away while scrambling off the plush couch. He turned to run only to slam into a desk, knocking over several picture frames—some shattering as they hit the floor. Izaya fell to the ground with a yell of pain and surprise.

He tried to push himself to his feet but phantom pain overtook his legs and he collapsed back to the ground.

A shadow fell over him. He gasped and quickly turned on his back, aiming to kick his assailant. But the man-like creature grabbed Izaya by his bicep as he sat by his side.

“No!” Izaya screamed, pushing against the man's chest with one hand while the other reached for something to attack this person with, his legs also kicking and the rest of him squirming to get out of his grip. “Fuck you! Get off of me! Let me go!”

“Knock it of—” Shizuo's words were cut as Izaya had gripped one of the glass shards from the broken picture frame. As soon as it was in his hand, he stabbed the shard upwards with all his might. Shizuo's reflexes kicking in, he caught the attack, the glass slicing the webbing between his index and middle finger. His eyes widened when he realized Izaya had been aiming for his eye without hesitation.

With the prompt distraction, Izaya grabbed another shard with his other hand and swung it towards the monster's side. The glass disappeared into the flesh, Shizuo letting out a call of surprise.

The monster released Izaya and he quickly scrambled back. Once out from underneath it, Izaya  swung his leg up and kicked the man in his chin as hard as he could. The monster fell away so he stood to run. He saw a hallway behind the couch so he aimed for that.

There were more monsters towards his side and the monster he had just attacked was laying on the ground in front of him so he had no choice but to vault the couch. Which he did with ease. However, one of the other monsters grabbed his arm once he was only a foot away from the hallway.

“Get off of me!” Izaya struggled hard. The creature didn't falter and was even able to grab his other arm.

Izaya squirmed and yanked his caught limbs as he was being pressed against the monster's body. He could feel breasts press against his shoulder blades and terror overtook him that he was being grabbed by a woman in a nurse outfit. With that thought in mind, he knew he had to get out before more of them came. He swung his head back to, in hopes, break her nose. However, his head collided with metal and something fell off from the person's head. Izaya leaned forward in pain and reached up to rub his head even though she still had a hold of his biceps.

He shook his head instead before putting up a fight again. He pushed the nurse back with his body while his hands reached out to grab something. His hand knocked something over on his left and metal clattered. He quickly looked to see it was a knife block and the knives were now free. So he reached for one. He grabbed a butcher knife and quickly twisted his body. The twist caused the nurse to release his arm that had the knife, giving him the opportunity he needed. He quickly turned and swung the knife, where it stabbed into the neck of the woman.

His eyes widened for a moment when he saw the monster was headless but knew that wasn't weird compared to the monster's he's seen before. The headless woman fell away as she reached for the knife that was embedded in her. Izaya reached over and grabbed another knife, ready to fight his way out of this hell.

“Knock it off, you fucking flea!” Someone yelled before that someone slammed into him from behind and grabbed his arms.

Izaya's entire instinct told him to fight. He was pinned. Anyone or anything could attack him at that moment. But he didn't listen to his gut as his eyes widened and he quickly looked over his shoulder. His eyes remained wide when he recognized the person.

“...Shi...Shizu...cha...”

“You awake now?”

“...Wh-what are you...doing in my—wait! If-if you're here then this is real—this is—”

“Yeah, this is real, you idiot!”

Izaya turned around fast so they were facing each other. Shizuo jolted and went to back away but the raven grabbed the chest of his shirt as he looked up at him with desperation evident on his face.

“Who's all here?! I stabbed someone, didn't I, earlier?! Are they okay?! I didn't—did I...?”

Shizuo's eyes widened to the expression Izaya exposed to him. He had never seen the flea make that face—fear, concern, desperation—so he wasn't necessarily sure what to do.

But in the end, he answered, “No one's dead, if that's what you're asking. You didn't...hurt anyone, really.”

“Bu...I stabbed....”

“It's fine. They're not hurt.”

Izaya's expression changed between disbelieve and relief, then his eyes welded up with tears. He tilted his head down, where he rested it on Shizuo's chest. Shizuo stiffened and raised his arms as if he was going to push Izaya away. But he didn't only because he could hear Izaya sniffling. So he remained in the awkward situation, unsure of what he should do.

“Why are you even in my apartment?” Izaya muttered. “Came to beat me up or something?”

Shizuo cocked a brow and stared down at him. “Take a looked around you, flea. We're not at your place.”

Izaya's eyes widened and he quickly looked up at Shizuo with fear in his eyes. He looked around himself and his expression changed to absolute terror.

“I'm...I'm not...”

Izaya started shaking. Then his eyes widened in realization.

“Get off!” Izaya pushed Shizuo away and ran down the hall.

“Hey, flea!” Shizuo followed quickly.

Shinra, who was attending to Celty, stared after them before the headless rider stood and rushed to follow—the knife having been removed and her neck healing within minutes—causing him to follow as well.

“Stay here.” Kadota said to Mikado, Anri, Kida, Mairu, and Kururi before following after Shinra.

“Izaya, open the door!” Shizuo yelled, banging on the bathroom door that the flea had locked behind him. “I'll break it down, flea!”

“Go away!” Izaya's voice cracked with tears, the sink faucet getting turned on.

“Izaya!” Kadota yelled. “Open the door—”

Shizuo leaned back as he raised his foot. Controlling his strength to the best of his capability, Shizuo kicked the door open. The door was knocked off its bottom hinges but no the top so it swung spasmodically against the wall.

“Don't fucking do that shit! Makes it feel like you're going to kill...” Shizuo's yell trailed off as he stared down at Izaya.

Izaya sat huddled on the floor, the sink overflowing with water, his coat laying a bit away from him while his face buried in his arms as he sobbed and rocked himself back and forth.

“...Izaya.” Shizuo leaned down as Shinra ran over to tun off the sink.

Shizuo placed his hand against Izaya's back. And automatically his eyes widened. The blond leaned forward and pulled up the raven's shirt, having felt something through the fabric. What he saw made his expression twist with horror.

“Izaya...what happened to your back?”

Izaya only cried as Shizuo stared at the four long claw marks scarring the length of the raven's back.

* * *

 

Izaya refused to speak He only sat on the couch, a blanket draped over his shoulders.

Shizuo sat next to him to make sure he didn't try to run again. He wasn't really sure what he should do to try to help the traumatized raven so being the physical assistant was the only conclusive idea he could come to.

“Izaya...” Shinra started. “You've been through a lot tonight...Do you think you can tell us some of what you dreamed?”

Izaya didn't answer.

“I mean, you did just try to kill Celty, no hesitation or regret. What did you think she was?”

Izaya stiffened but only brought the blanket closer around his body.

Celty slapped Shinra's arm. Prompting Kadota to take over.

“Izaya, it's okay. Listen,” Kadota reached forward and grabbed Izaya's knees, which caused the raven to flinch but not pull away. “It's okay. No one's hurt. You didn't do anything wrong. But it's important that we know what your dreams are about in order to help you.”

Izaya scoffed. “Didn't do anything wrong? Bullshit.” His voice was hoarse and raspy, no doubt  his vocal cords hurting from his screaming and yelling earlier. “It's only okay because it was Celty. What if it was you or someone other than Celty? You'd be giving me a different lecture then. No doubt, I'd be getting told my Miranda rights and have to explain that I didn't _mean_ to kill anyone. Haha, then I'd be tossed in the loonie bin. Haha, hahaha...”

Izaya flopped his head over then rubbed his eye with the palm of his hand. He then leaned back and rested his head on the back of the couch, staring up at the ceiling with a defeated look.

“Like that'd do any fucking good.”

“Izaya...” Kadota grabbed one of Izaya's hands to get his attention. “It's okay—”

“It's not okay!” Izaya flared, pulling his hand away. Shizuo wasn't the only one to jump from the sudden outburst while Celty manifested shadows. “It's _not okay_ , Kadota! It's not, it's not, it's not!”

“Izaya, ssssh! Calm down, I'm sorry!” Kadota grabbed Izaya's hands again, pulling him forward so he couldn't hurt himself. “I'm sorry, you're right. Sssh.”

Izaya's grip on Kadota's hands tightened as his whole body shook.

“Hey, Izaya.” Shinra said. “Look, you've had a really bad night. That's pretty obvious. Why don't you sleep here for the night and—”

“I can't sleep.” Izaya moaned. “I can't...sleep. If I sleep, I go there. And I don't want to go there. So I can't sleep. I don't want to go there anymore.”

“Where is 'there'?”

“I won't go back there. But I don't know what to do. The pill was the only thing stopping the dreams but I have no more. I just don't know what to do.”

“Iza—”

“Do you know what it's like to be scared to sleep?!” Izaya yelled, causing another jump from a few of the people in the room. “An average human can only last about most thirty-two days without sleep before their brain shuts down and they die! But before they reach their limit, their mind starts to trick them! They start hallucinating on the worse acid trip you could ever imagine but even worse! So while I'm sitting there too scared to sleep, I start seeing them in real life! And I panic! I had to send Namie-san home and tell her not to come back cuz I nearly cut her! I thought she was a nurse all because she had a knife in her hand! But even after all that—and tonight!—I'm still too scared to sleep!”

Izaya looked down at the ground with wide, crazed eyes as he put his hands on the side of his face.

“I'm slipping! Slipping! I'm started to blend the reality and dream! I'm not sure which one is real anymore! That place is so vivid, every thing hurts. It burns! I bleed! I scream! I feel every little patch of skin burning off my bones! Dreams can't do that! Unless you've personally experienced the pain, your mind can only generalize using the most pain you've ever felt in your life! But I feel everything! A person can only deal with so much before they snap!

“MY SANIT IS SLIPPING AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! I'M SCARED! I'M—”

“Izaya!” Shizuo pulled the raven's hands away from his face, blood drizzling down his cheeks.

Izaya jolted and stared at Shizuo with wide, confused eyes.

Then Izaya broke down. He lunged forward and held Shizuo to him. Shizuo's hands shot out at his side in surprise. But as soon as he heard the raven's sobs, Shizuo felt a burst of protectiveness encase him. He stroked the raven's hair as he cried, his other hand soothingly rubbing over the long, protruding scars on the raven's back.

* * *

 

Shinra stared down at the unconscious Izaya, who lied on the bed in the guest room. Shinra had given Izaya sedatives after he cried himself to sleep in hopes that the drugs would keep him from dreaming.

The brunette closed the door and turned back to his friends.

“What should we do?” Mikado was the first to speak.

“He can't be left alone.” Shizuo said. “That much is obvious. He'll hurt himself.”

“Or others, but that's obviously not anything new.” Kida shrugged.

“Kida.” Kadota growled.

“We should probably ask this Namie-san.” Erika suggested. “She's around him more than we are.”

“But what do we do until then?” Shizuo asked.  “We can't let him leave. Someone needs to stay with him—”

“In all actuality, he should be in some form of professional caring.” Shinra said, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Sleepwalking isn't the issue, it's the fact that he's questioning his sanity.”

“He's always been crazy.” Kida stated.

“This form of crazy and that are not the same kind. His previous dementia was always a hobby or sport, something he was aware is harmful but it's fun. Sociopath's have that unwavering apathy. And yet, now, Izaya is worried about hurting Namie-kun. These dreams have shaken his foundation. His resolves are turning.”

“That should be a good thing.” Shizuo chuckled. “The flea'll finally have a conscience.”

“If he wasn't causing self-harm in the process, it would be. But when someone has such vivid dreams and potentially hurts others or themselves, that's when their friends and family should consider putting them in a metal health care facility.”

“You mean an asylum.”

Shinra pushed his glasses up again, the light reflecting the lenses. “Well, yes.”

“Iza-nii would never agree to go to an asylum.” Mairu said.

“Never.” Kururi muttered.

“Well, you never know.” Walker said. “With this incident, it might be easier to convince him to go.”

“The things he had said made it sound like he wanted help.” Erika added.

“He's reached his breaking point.” Togusa finished. “Anymore and he'll snap. And when he snaps he'll probably try to end it all.”

“Are you saying he'll try to kill himself?” Shizuo stared at Togusa wide-eyed.

“No way!” Mairu yelled. “Iza-nii prides on always being able to deal with what life throws at him with a smile.”

“Then he'll jump off a building with a smile on his face.” Kida sneered.

“KIDA!” Mairu, Kadota, and Celty yelled—typed—at him.

“Calm down, guys.” Shinra said. “You'll wake him up.”

“Togusa is right, though.” Shizuo said to bring the conversation back. “The flea's sanity is on a thin thread. Who knows how much more he can take.”

 _:Well then, what should we do?:_ Celty typed.

“Its sad to say,” Kadota said. “but the asylum seems like the option—”

“Wait, Kishitani-san, what about the scars?” Mikado interrupted.

“Hah?”

“The scars. Those vertical cuts on Izaya's back. He couldn't have done that himself.”

“...Well...true. The scar tissue is too deep to be nail marks and he wouldn't be able to reach that low on his back.”

“An animal maybe?” Erika suggested.

“...It could have been a bear or some form of big cat to get the tissue that deep but the space between them are too close.”

“So what does that mean?” Anri asked.

“What it means is their too close to be an animal but too deep to be human.”

“...Maybe...a knife.” Shizuo said.

“No one would've held still long enough to cut such smooth vertical lines.”

“He could have been restrained.”

“Or drugged.”

“He doesn't have any bruises—” Shinra started.

“They're scars though. They're not new injuries—”

“From Izaya's behavior it seems as it the scars _were_ new, as if he hadn't seen them till tonight. Yet he knew the possibility of them being there tonight were high.”

“Well, yeah...but it had to be someone. I mean, dreams can't transfer over.”

“If that was the case then Izaya would be blind now.” Kida inputted.

Shinra was silent for a moment, thinking it over. “True. Someone had to have done it. Maybe...a crazed stalker has gotten his pass code.”

“Maybe he drugs him at night so he doesn't wake up but he's aware of the pain he's going through.” Erika suggested. “So his nightmares are a premonition of his reality.”

“...That could be a possibility.” Shinra said. “I'll check him for sexual assault and any other unnatural scarring. In the meantime, you should all go home. If he has a nightmare he'll be less likely to panic if he's alone.” 

The group looked at each other and agreed. Then began to pile out.

“Hey, Shinra,” Shizuo started when it was only him, Celty, and the doctor. “Will the flea be okay? I mean...”

“If we put him in an asylum, he'll be okay.”

“And if he doesn't agree?”

“...Well, then we'll have to worry about him.”


	4. Chapter 2: I'm Going To Try To Be Civil With You

 

Izaya sighed as he glared at Shizuo and Shinra and Celty.

“An asylum? You've got to be stupid. Who came up with that? Shizu-chan?”

Shizuo glared at him.

“Wait, no,” Izaya laughed, his voice still hoarse. “That'd be giving Shizu too much credit.”

Shizuo clenched his fists. **_'His shitty attitude's back.'_**

“But to whoever thought of that, you're stupid. You honestly expect _me_ , Orihara Izaya, to go to an asylum to have apathetic strangers look after me? Please. If I want an asylum, I'll just fall asleep and go there. Nurses and Stalkers are great attendants, don't you know?”

“Nurses and Stalkers?”

Izaya shrugged. “I can't make up names for my nightmare monsters?”

Sizuo didn't answer.

“Izaya, where is 'there'?” Shinra asked.

Izaya just stared at him.

“...Okay...” Shinra said. “Then why don't you tell us about these monsters.”

Izaya remained silent.

“You stupid flea.” Shizuo growled. “You need help! If you're not going to an asylum, then at least talk to _us_ about it!”

“ _You_?” Izaya scoffed. “I'll _consider_ telling Shinra but you want _me_ to tell _you_ about my problems? Fat chance, Shizu-chan.”

“You and that shitty attitude are going to earn you a black eye.” Shizuo growled as he stood.

Izaya just smiled, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

“Look Izaya.” Shinra siad. “We want to help you.”

“Get me those pills and you will.”

“They don't exist anymore. I can't give you a drug that's been taken off the market.”

“Then you can't help me.”

Izaya went to stand only for pain to encase both legs. He winced and plopped back down.

“Don't move, flea.” Shizuo siad. “You hurt your legs.”

Izaya stared at him wide-eyed. “How the hell do you know that? You couldn't have been in my dream.”

“Hah?”

“I...fell down a mine shaft. My legs got tangled in the bars and I wrenched them.”

Shinra grimaced. “Sounds painful.”

“You hurt your legs in real life, stupid.” Shizuo said.

“How?”

“...It doesn't matter how.” Shizuo decided not to mention that when he had tackled Izaya over the guardrail last night, he had landed on his legs. The blond thought he had heard something snap but he had been more worried about yelling at the flea at the time.

Izaya glared at him.

“Well, let me have a look.” Shinra said, grabbing Izaya's foot and pushing the pant leg up.

Izaya winced.

“Feels like a fracture. I'll need to take x-rays to be sure.”

Izaya didn't answer.

“You're going to need crutches till it heals.”

“No.”

Shinra glared up at him. “Izaya—”

“No, I'm not walking on crutches. Give me a brace or something. But don't expect me to walk like a handicap.”

Shinra stared up at him. Then sighed. “Fine. Let me see the other one.”

Izaya obeyed, though he looked rather reluctant.

“You tore the muscles here.” He touched the back of the raven's leg.

Izaya shrugged. “Give me tape then.”

 Shizuo growled. “Flea, will you take this seriously?”

“I'm still here, aren't I?”

Shizuo bit his lip to keep himself from yelling while Shinra scurried off.

“Just curious, is there a _reason_ you're actually caring about what happens to me?” Izaya sneered. “Don't tell me you saw something last night that changed your opinion about me?”

“You _cannot_ tell me you forgot what happened last night.”

Izaya didn't answer, although he averted his gaze and his white cheeks went a little red.

“I'm going to be the one to kill you, you bastard flea. But I can't hit a crazy person. It's not fair.”

“You've always said I was crazy.”

“You know what I mean! You belong in an asylum where you can get help! Before you belonged in a fucking prison cuz you're a fucking psycho!”

“That's rude, you know.”

“Fuck you.”

Izaya just chuckled as Shinra returned with a brace and white gauze tape.

“So, Shizu-chan has decided to stop hating me for the time being. A temporary truce, huh?” Izaya chuckled. “I knew you were stupid.”

“You damn flea!” Shizuo yelled but that was all he did. His fists were clenched at his side tightly as if he wanted to punch Izaya but he amazingly held back.

“Well, Izaya.” Shinra said, “I don't think it's safe for you to go home alone.”

“I'm not a narcalept. I'm not going to fall asleep as I walk.”

“That's not what I meant. What if you sleep walk again?”

“Locked doors do wonders.”

“Oh, yeah. They were really wondrous last night.” Shizuo growled.

Izaya opened his mouth to argue. Then he fell silent, his eyes widening.

“What?” Shizuo cocked a brow.

“The door was locked last night.”

The room fell silent.

“Well, Izaya, we were actually talking abut this before.” Shinra said, having squatted down and was in the process of wrapping his leg. “But is there any possibility that someone could have gotten your passcode?”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, we were thinking that someone may have gotten into your apartment and is the one leaving the scars on you—”

“Not possible.”

“Don't be stubborn—” Shizuo started.

“I've had these nightmares since I was eight-years-old. And I have scars from then too. They're not as noticable so my parents never payed them any mind. They got me those pills and I haven't had any issues since.”

“...Izaya,” Shinra said, “that's not—”

“I know its not a coincident, dammit!” Izaya flared. “I get cut in my dream, she touches it, and it's on my body in real life!”

“Izaya, we both know that's not possible!”

“Don't tell me what's possible and impossible when you're fucking a dullahan!”

***SLAP***

Izaya's eyes widened as Shinra's hand came across his cheek.

“You need to calm down.” The bespectacle brunette stated.

Izaya didn't reply, holding his cheek.

“That hurt, you know.”

“Well then don't say such vulgar things about my Celty.”

Izaya just pouted as he rubbed his cheek more.

“I'll admit you're not wrong.” Shinra pulled the pants legs back down. “With Celty's existence, it is possible there's something supernaturally wrong with you. But it begs the question: when did you ever come in contact with something inhuman besides Celty?”

“...” Izaya glanced at the ground. “If it's something supernatural then an asylum won't do anything for me.”

Celty sat down by Izaya and showed him her message. _:What about a psychic?:_

“A psychic?”

_:Yeah. Maybe one can help you understand your dream.:_

“...But most psychic's are fake. They only pretend to be talking to ghosts and spirits. If anything, you're the best candidate.”

_:...I don't know what I can do. I'm a feary, not a ghost. Besides not all of them are fake. I'm sure one of them can help you.:_

“Yeah, after we fish him out of a bundle of fake look alikes.”

“Stop being difficult.” Shizuo plopped down on Izaya's other side. “A psychic doesn't sound like a bad idea.”

“It's better than nothing.” Shinra sat on the coffee table.

Izaya glowered at the ground, crossing his arms over his chest in a pout.

“...If you can find a reliable one then I'm willing...”

Shinra smiled. “Alright. We'll look through the phone book. In the mean time, you should stay somewhere other than your house.”

“Like where?”

“...My place is open...” Shizuo suggested.

“Hah?!” Izaya jolted. “You can't be serious!”

“Shut up, flea. I don't like it either—”

“Then don't suggest it!”

“But you're not safe alone!”

“And I'm safe with you?!”

“I won't hit you.”

“Like I'll believe that!”

“Well, do you have somewhere you can stay?!”

“Yeah, my house.”

“You're not safe at your house!”

“I don't have stalker!”

“Just humor the idea! You don't know that!”

“I do know that! There are camera's in my house!”

“When's the last time you looked over the footage?”

Izaya opened his mouth but nothing came out.

Shizuo looked at him expectantly with a tilt of his head.

“S-shut up! That's none of your business!”

Shizuo huffed. “You're staying with me.”

“ _NO_ I am _NOT_!” Izaya raised his voice, glaring death at Shizuo. “If you trying to fucking force me, I swear I'll slit your throat while you sleep.”

That made Shizuo pause. Izaya's proven last night that he's liable to attack if others are around him when he wakes up. He didn't believe in Izaya's threat so long as he was stable, but unstable Izaya just might do as he said.

“Well, here's what you can do!” Shinra butted in. “Izaya, you can go home after I x-ray your leg. And Shizuo can go with you.”

“No way—”

“And, we'll call Kadota-san too and have him come as well. That way, you won't have to worry about Shizuo doing anything violent.”

“...Then why don't you just have Dotachin come instead of Shizu-chan?

“I'm coming, flea.” Shizuo said. “I can handle getting stabbed.”

Izaya fell silent to that, looking down at the ground while a flare a guilt crossed his eyes. Shizuo felt guilty for saying that but he knew he had a valid point. Izaya then sighed.

“Fine.” He looked up at Shizuo. “But if you try _anything_ , I'll call the cops faster than you can throw a refrigerator.”

“Fine.”

“Alright!” Shinra beamed. “Izaya, come with me. Celty, Celty, can you text Kadota-san?”

Celty nodded. Shinra offered a hand to Izaya, who took it and stood up. The raven winced and leaned against Shinra heavily. The brunette put Izaya's arm over his neck and wrapped the other around his waist. The raven limping heavily, the two men headed to the back room while Celty pulled out her phone. Shizuo stayed seated on the couch and waited.

* * *

 

“Do not get comfy. This is only a temporary arrangement.” Izaya said as he took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack. “Don’t touch any of my books or my computer. Dotachin has free range over the TV so long as it doesn’t get distracting. I’m fairly certain I don’t have any food in the refrigerator. I eat out more often than not so if you get hungry, go buy some. Dotachin, if you’re low on cash I can supply you.”

Shizuo was giving Izaya a death glare. He didn’t miss the fact that he only addressed Kadota with the positives of their stay. ‘ ** _Annoying piece of shit. Why did I agree to this?’_**

“I don’t have any spare futons.” Izaya continued as he went over to a door by the kitchen’s empty doorway. “But I have two couches, plenty of blankets, and plenty of pillows. Dotachin, you’re alright with the couch, right? Shizu-chan, you’re sleeping on the floor. I don’t want your monster germs on my sofa.”

Shizuo clenched his fists. ‘ ** _Annoying, annoying, annoying, flea.’_**

“I’m alright with the couch.” Kadota said, not sure how to respond to Izaya’s jab at Shizuo other than to ignore it.

Izaya nodded and reached into the closet he had just opened. He pulled out a blanket and smelt it.

“My apologies. I haven’t used these in a while.” The raven said as he pulled them out, filling his arms past their breaching point but still trying. “They’ve become stale so I’ll wash them.”

“Here, let me help.” The carpenter said, walking over and grabbing some from Izaya’s hands.

“Thank you, Dotachin.”

Shizuo walked over and grabbed some too.

“I didn’t ask for your help, brute.” Izaya glowered at him.

“Shut up. You’re going to drop them.” The blond growled.

“...Fine, those are yours for the night.”

“Fine.”

Izaya turned with a ‘hmph’ and headed into the kitchen. Shizuo pulled his lip back in an annoyed snarl but said nothing as he followed.

‘ ** _Look after Izaya, Shinra said.’_** Kadota thought as he sighed. ‘ ** _More like make sure Izaya doesn’t annoy Shizuo to his death.’_**

The two went through the kitchen to a small walk-in closet that had the washer and dryer in it. The raven loaded as many of the blankets in as he could and started up the wash. Once done, the raven instructed for the two to drop their load in front of the washer—which they did—and closed the door. He then went over to the coffee maker and turned it on.

“I’m going to be working so don’t bother me. If you need the bathroom, there’s one through that door.” He pointed to the door by the TV.

“Okay.” Kadota said.

“Fine.” Shizuo grumbled.

Izaya looked over his shoulder at the blond.

Then turned on him. Shizuo’s eyes widened by the sudden movement and he took a step back out of reflex.

“I’m going to try to be civil with you.” Izaya’s expression was absolutely laced with scorn, his eyes burning with hate and a strained smile lied on his lips. “I won’t bother you so long as you don’t bother me. Got it?”

Shizuo returned the glare. “I’m here to make sure you don’t kill yourself. Not to play nice.”

The scorn only became more apparent. “Good.”

With that the two turned away from each other.

‘ ** _This is going to be a long~ night.’_** Kadota thought, already starting to feel exhausted.


	5. Chapter 3: Wake Up!

And Kadota was wrong.

Surprisingly.

After that brief exchange, the two of them had gone their separate ways. Shizuo sat on the couch, which earned him an annoyed response from Izaya but it was quickly put to rest, and turned on the TV. He turned it on to boxing and sat silently for a good three hours. Kadota had followed Shizuo’s example, except he got up every once in a while to refill Izaya’s coffee cup. At first, the carpenter had let Izaya do it but after his second empty cup within an hour, Kadota decided he’d refill it for him so he could keep working.

Neither the blond nor the carpenter knew what Izaya was doing on his computer. But he was on it well into the night. Even ignoring his growling stomach—which Shizuo and Kadota had both heard—until he finally grabbed his phone and reached into his draw to pull out some menu pamphlets for different restaraunts. Once there, the raven had turned and asked his guests what they wanted and named off that there was Chinese, American, Italian, or Japanese cuisines. Kadota said he’d eat any of it and Shizuo chimed in with American. To which Izaya replied with “Chinese it is.” and began dialing in the call. That earned him a growl but the blond bit his tongue.

However, when the food arrived, Shizuo was pleasantly surprised with a plus-size cheeseburger and french fries while Kadota got a Chinese cuisine with Izaya.

Even while eating, Izaya was still on his computer. Every once in awhile he’d put his food down to type and at this point of the night he had on a pair of pink-and-white over-the-head headphones. But other than that, his eating went uninterrupted.

Kadota and Shizuo decided it would be best not to bother Izaya. Neither one knew what he was doing on his computer and, honestly, neither of them wanted to know. They’d rather not be guilty by association of something illegal because they were too curious.

It was only when midnight started rolling around that the two agreed to chime up.

“Hey, Izaya-kun.” Shizuo said loud enough to get the raven to take off his headphones.

“Yeah?”

“It’s getting pretty late. We should head to bed soon.”

“You two can go to bed. I still have work to do.”

“Well, we can’t, actually.” Shizuo glared at him. “You’ll keep us up with your keyboard clacking.”

“Shizuo.” Kadota interjected. “We’re a guest in his house.”

“No, it’s fine.” Izaya said. “The monster’s got a point.”

Shizuo glared at him while the raven stretched.

“Why don’t you two take my bed then?”

“Eh?” Shizuo cocked a brow.

“I’m not tired and, again, I still have a good amount of work to do. So you two can take my bed. I’ll wash everything on it in the morning to get the monster stink off. It’s big enough that you two could share while not touching so you don’t need to worry about ‘no homo’.”

Shizuo was a little confused by that statement of ‘no homo’ but didn’t question it. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, yes. It's fine.”

The two men looked at each other in uncertainty. After all, the point of them staying at Izaya’s place was to keep an eye on him when he sleeps. If they fell asleep while Izaya stayed awake, there would really be no point in them staying there.

And Izaya knew that. So the raven rolled his eyes and said: “Leave the door open if you want so you can hear me.”

Kadota hesitated then said: “I can sleep through noise so I can stay down here.”

“If you can sleep through noise then you’re less likely to wake up to anything throughout the night.”

“No, I do. I can fall asleep to noise but if it gets quiet while I’m sleeping, any noise will wake me up.”

“...Well, if you’re alright with it. It’s up to you.” Izaya shrugged. “You can use the bed if you want.”

The raven turned back to the computer. Shizuo glowered at him and opened his mouth to say something.

“Did anyone switch out the laundry?” Izaya said first.

Their eyes widened in realization.

Izaya looked up at them and automatically understood that expression. “Really?”

“...Shut up. You forgot too.” Shizuo said.

“Shut up.” The raven stood.

He sighed heavily as he walked around his desk and headed to the kitchen. With the raven’s back to him, Shizuo leaned back over the desk to look at the computer screen.

“I guess you can use the covers on the bed. Decide now if you’re moving them down here or not.”

“You  should just go to bed, flea.” Shizuo stated.

“I _told_ you—”

“It’s bullshit that you have work and we all know it. You just don’t want to go to bed.”

“Hah?” Izaya turned around so fast and casted Shizuo a glare of hatred. “What right do you have to call me a liar—”

“You’re watching Youtube, you damn flea! Work my ass!”

Izaya opened his mouth to reply but stuttered. That made Shizuo grin, which made Izaya’s glare fill with even more hate.

“Shut up.” The raven finally said. “Whether I go to sleep or not is none of your concern.”

“It is, actually. The insomniac needs to sleep. And the stalker would only show up while you’re asleep.”

“So you plan to use me as bait? Classy, Shizu-chan.”

“Well, how else are we supposed to catch the guy?”

“Again, it’s _not_ a stalker!”

“You’re just in denial!”

“No, you’re in denial!” Izaya squared up to Shizuo. “The monster doesn’t like that thought of other monsters encroaching on what’s his.”

“What the—you’re not mine—”

“You blatantly said that you were going to be the one to kill me, right? So if another monster takes your kill, you’d be pissed, wouldn’t you? That’s the only reason you’re even here. To make sure the ‘stalker’ doesn’t kill me first.”

“That is _not_ why!”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Guys, guys.” Kadota pushed in between them despite his better judgement to stay out of it. “Calm, okay? Izaya, you don’t want to have to buy new furniture, I’m sure. And I doubt Shizuo wants to spend the night in jail. So let’s just calm down.”

The rivals huffed and backed off. Kadota let out a sigh of relief.

“Just go to sleep. We’ll keep an eye on you.” Shizuo growled as he crossed his arms and turned away.

“Yeah, like that’s what I want. One monster watching me sleep is more than enough, thanks.”

“JUST GO TO BED, YOU BASTARD!!”

Izaya only chuckled to the yell, scorn and maniacal happiness burning in his eyes. The raven then huffed and turned away.

Shizuo heard the flea walk away and quickly looked over his shoulder to see what he was doing. Izaya was heading to the door.

“Hey, where are you goin—”

“I’m locking the door, you neanderthal.”

Shizuo blushed. “Sh-shut up.”

Izaya just rolled his eyes and did as he said he was going to do. Once done with that, he turned and went into the kitchen. The two men watched him and that was when they noticed Izaya had baby locks on all the cupboards and drawers. The raven double-checked to make sure they were all properly locked. He then went to the bathroom door and locked that, pulling on the knob to make sure.

He sighed and turned around. “You two don’t have any blankets. You realize that, Shizu-chan?”

“They’re not dirty, are they? We can handle stale blankets.”

Izaya glanced at Kadota, who just nodded in agreement. The raven just rolled his eyes and went back over to the closet. “Fine then.”

He pulled out two blankets. They were smaller than the ones Izaya had tried to wash. He deposited them on the couch, grabbed two pillows, did the same to them, then turned and walked away. He put the bathroom key on the coffee table as he walked past the two.

“Night.” Izaya said as he went up the stairs.

“Aren’t you going to turn off your computer?” Shizuo growled.

“It’s on sleep mode.” Was the raven’s only reply before he shut the door, ending the conversation immediately.

Shizuo snorted and rolled his eyes. “Stupid flea.”

Kadota sighed as he walked over and turned off the lights. “Good night, Shizuo.”

“Night, Kadota.”

* * *

 

Shizuo opened his eyes with a groan. He was still laying on his back on the couch, one arm dangling off the cushions. It was still pitch black in the room and with a turn of his head he saw it was only 3:31 a.m. Seeing that only made the blond groan more. He rubbed his eyes then rolled over to try and go back to sleep.

As he closed his eyes, he finally realized why he woke up.

There was a repeated banging happening behind him.

He sat up slowly, seeing Kadota do the same by the shift of shadows on the other couch. The carpenter grabbed his phone off the coffee table and flipped it on. He turned on the flashlight and shined it around the room.

Both their eyes widened when the beam of light focused on the source of the noise.

Izaya was down in the living room with them, walking straight into the bookshelf. He kept taking a step forward, hitting his forehead on the books that sat there. Some books were lying on the floor around him. He took another step forward, hit the bookshelf again, and a book fell off and hit Izaya on the shoulder. The raven let out a small groan but continued to try to walk forward.

“What the…?” Shizuo whispered to Kadota, extremely confused.

Any other time, Shizuo probably would have laughed at this display. After all, it’s not everyday the blond gets to see Izaya be clumsy and hurt himself. But this wasn’t funny, this was extremely creepy and weird. The way Izaya was acting was not amusing in the slightest.

Kadota stood. The carpenter casted Shizuo an uncertain look before he started over to Izaya.

“Izaya? You awake?”

Izaya didn’t answer. Shizuo stood, taking slow, tentative steps as if heavy footfalls would wake the raven and make him violent.

“I’m going to turn on a light.” Shizuo said in a soft voice.

“Okay.”

The blond stepped over to one of the many nightstands by the couch and turned on a lamp. With the room relatively illuminated, Kadota turned off the flashlight on his phone and put it in his pocket.

Izaya continued to walk into the bookshelf. With the lights on, Shizuo could see his eye were indeed closed.

“Izaya.” Kadota called, softly.

“Izaya. Hey.” Shizuo also called.

The two quietly walked over to the raven until they were standing right next to him. The raven was completely oblivious to their presence.

“Izaya.” Shizuo reached out to touch him.

“Wait, Shizuo.” Kadota grabbed his wrist. “You remember what Shinra said? Waking him up could cause a heart attack.”

“...Yeah, but that’s just a superstition. It’s never been proven, right?”

“...I...Don’t know.” Kadota didn’t look convinced with Shizuo’s statement.

And the blond noticed. “What do you want to do then, Kadota?”

Kadota was silent for a moment. “Well, if he’s having a nightmare then we shouldn’t let him suffer through it...Maybe we should lay him down then wake him up.”

Shizuo nodded. The blond turned back to Izaya. “Hey, Izaya…”

The raven continued to bang his head.

Shizuo reached out and placed his hand on Izaya’s forehead. The raven didn’t register the touch and still tried to walk forward. But the blond’s hand acted as a guard so Izaya didn’t hit his head. With reassurance Izaya wouldn’t wake, Shizuo put his other arm around his shoulders and turned him. The raven followed without resistance.

“Come on, let’s lie down.”

Kadota followed closely as Shizuo began to lead him to the closest soft surface—the couch.

Halfway through their journey, Izaya began to get uncooperative. He began to pull away, trying to push Shizuo from him. His face started to contort in a scowl as he tried to move himself backwards.

“Izaya.” Shizuo held onto him, gripping with a bit more force to keep him in place.

Izaya didn’t reply. Instead, his mouth opened in a pant as he continued to feebly struggle.

“Izaya, come on.” Kadota came on Izaya’s other side and slightly pushed the raven’s back to get him moving.

Izaya took a forced step forward.

“Sto…” Izaya began.

“Come on, Izaya.” Shizuo gave him another pull. “Come lay down.”

“No...no…”

“It’s okay.” Kadota said.

“Hel—no. R-run. Run…”

“Sssh. It’s okay, Izaya.”

“Coming. They’re com…”

“No one’s coming. It’s okay—”

Izaya screamed.

The two men jumped, Kadota pulling away and putting a hand over the ear that was closest to Izaya on reflex. Shizuo’s grip on the raven only tightened. Izaya jerked in the blond’s hold, attempting to pull away.

“No!” Izaya screamed, thrashing wildly. “No, let me go!!”

“Izaya!” Shizuo yelled. “Stop! It’s okay!”

“Get away from me! Don’t—no!”

“What should we do?!” Kadota looked at Shizuo, seeming to be dumbstruck from shock.

“Get away...don’t...hurt me anymore! Let me go~! Plea—please!”

Shizuo grabbed Izaya and turned him so they were facing each other. “Wake up!”

“Shizuo, don’t!”

Shizuo ignored Kadota in favor of shaking the screaming raven. “Wake up, you damn flea! WAKE UP NOW!”

“No~ no…”

“WAKE! UP!” Shizuo’s shaking went from attempts of gentleness to violent. “NOW!”

“Shizuo, stop it! That’s not going to help!”

“WAKE UP! WAKE UP! STOP FUCKING DREAMING!”

The raven’s eyes flared open. He looked up at Shizuo and instantaneous swung his arm up. Out of peer reaction, Izaya collided his fist into Shizuo’s cheek. It didn’t hurt, didn’t even make the blond flinch, but it made Shizuo let the raven go in pure shock.

“What the hell, flea?!”

Izaya didn’t answer as he took shaky steps back. He was gasping loudly, shaking horribly, and holding himself tightly. He was barely standing, his knees closed together to keep him supported while he bent forward.

“no no no no no” Izaya’s voice was small and desperate, barely audible as he repeated the same word over and over and over.

“Izaya…?” Shizuo asked, cocking a brow.

“no no no no no no no no no”

Liquids was drizzling from his eyes and mouth before he fell to his knees, sitting huddled on the ground.

“no no no no no no no no no no no no no no”

“Izaya.” Kadota walked over cautiously.

A pungent scent filled the air while Izaya started to rock. Shizuo was confused by where the scent was coming from and why it suddenly came out. Then the blond realized he recognized it. It was the scent of urine.

‘ ** _Did...Did Izaya really…?’_**

“no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no”

“Izaya.” Kadota now stood over the raven. “Izaya.” Kadota reached down and touched his shoulder.

The raven jumped and quickly looked up. The terror in his eyes were evident before they widened in realization.

“Ka…dota…”

“Yeah, it’s me.” Kadota knelt down, carefully putting his hands on Izaya’s shoulders. “You’re okay.”

“I’m...back…?”

“Uh-huh. You’re home. Safe. Where no one can hurt you.”

“Safe…”

“That’s right. Come on, Izaya.” Kadota held his hands out to the raven, still kneeling. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

“Wait!” Shizuo called. “So did he really—”

“Shoosh!” Kadota casted him a glower.

Shizuo fell silent.

“Come on, Izaya.” The carpenter turned back to the raven, gripping his arms to try and help him stand.

The raven leaned against Kadota heavily, barely standing on his shaky legs. The carpenter wrapped an arm around his waist in support.

“Shizuo, can you clean that up please?” Kadota asked kindly, but the look he casted made it obvious the man was saying, “You caused this, you clean it up.”

The blond understood the message but said nothing as Kadota led the raven away. Shizuo turned around and went to one of the closets.

‘ ** _I didn’t sign up to clean up a grown man’s piss.’_**

Once the bedroom door closed, Shizuo let out a heavy sigh.

‘ ** _This better not be a reoccurring thing. I might lose my patience and punch him if I can’t get any sleep.’_**


	6. Chapter 4: Where Is This?

It took Shinra nearly three days to find a psychic Izaya actually knew—or didn’t know—if he was fake or not. Over the days, Shinra would call and bring the names up. Izaya would then look for information on the man. So Izaya had told Shinra “No.” twenty-eight times.

But twenty-nine was lucky to be famous enough, or not famous enough, to make it on Izaya radar.

During those three days of waiting, Shizuo did not get much sleep.

Nor did he punch Izaya who kept him up.

He all in all felt numb by the time Izaya agreed to a psychic meeting.

The nights after the first were hell. It may have merely been three days but four nights were spent with the carpenter and debt collector making sure no one came to attack the informant. By night two Shizuo was painfully certain there was no stalker—as much as he hated to agree with the flea (although the bastard Izaya wasn’t allowed to know that). No one ever tried to break in and Izaya was still getting new scars on him. One of the most noticeable new ones was one on the side of his neck. Long and white, it was very hard to miss. If it weren’t for the fact that the two of them had been in close proximities for a while now, Shizuo would have thought it was always there but he knew for a fact it wasn’t on the day they had started this horrible sleepover.

Kadota and Shizuo had come to an agreement that they would not allow Izaya to stay up. As much as they disliked being woken up by a screaming flea, they also didn’t want to take the chance that Izaya’s mind would start to deteriorate due to lack of sleep and start hallucinating. The two of them would not be there to keep an eye on him during the day, since they all agreed they would continue to do their respective jobs, and if the raven hallucinated no one would be there to help him.

Night one was absolute hell. There was no mistaking that since Shizuo messed up and tried to wake the flea. He learned from his mistake—mostly because he didn’t want to clean up someone else’s urine again. Izaya had woken them up at three and they all managed to get to bed by 5:30.

Night two was a bit more manageable. Kadota and Shizuo agreed that they wouldn’t wake Izaya up, just let the nightmare finish on its own. After an hour of screaming and walking around, Izaya finally sat down on the couch and woke up. However, seeing Kadota sitting next to him caused the raven panic and he tried to punch him and run away. Izaya ended up cornering himself before they were able to calm him down. Once he was calm, the raven refused to sleep. He didn’t even try to hide the fact he was scared, holding onto Kadota so desperately and begging him not the make him sleep. The carpenter ended up having to lay with Izaya, soothing him and telling him it was okay before the raven finally drifted off. Izaya had woken them up at three and they all managed to get to bed by 6:40.

Night three was far better. When Izaya started walking around, Kadota and Shizuo went up to Izaya’s bed and lied down. At that point, they didn’t care about Izaya’s “no homo” comment and just wanted to catch a little extra sleep. It was mostly them resting their eyes, staying half awake so they could periodically check on Izaya. Whenever it went silent, Kadota would wake up and check, or he would wake Shizuo up and make him check. The screaming lasted longer than usually on that night, Izaya not waking up until nearly five in the morning. Once it again, became silent, the two watchers came down, turned on the light and let Izaya know he wasn’t alone. The raven held Kadota close and merely repeated, “I almost got away. We almost got away. I was so close.” It didn’t take as long as before for Kadota to convince Izaya to lay back down. Izaya had woken them up at 3:20 and they all managed to get to bed by 5:15.

Night four, they had started to develop a rhythm. Izaya seemed to wake up at around three every night. However, this night something different had happened. Once three hit, Shizuo actually woke up before Izaya made any noise, seemingly out of habit now. Instead of trying to go back to sleep like normal, he sat up and looked around. He had spotted someone hunched over Izaya’s desk. He had turned on the lamp and seeing it was Izaya, had woken up Kadota. The raven had a pen in his hand, holding down a piece of paper with his other, and was scribbling fiercely. The two had stood and gone over to him, calling out to Izaya questioningly since neither of them knew if Izaya was awake. When they came over, Izaya had finished his drawing and had pushed the paper to the side, drawing on another piece of paper. The two had not seen Izaya do something like this before, so neither really knew what to do. Eventually, they decided to stop Izaya’s mad drawing. Kadota had reached out and moved his hand away from the paper. Izaya still tried draw and began scribbling on his desk until Kadota raised his hand away from the tabletop. Shizuo took the pen from him and put it in the desk so the raven couldn’t use it as a weapon then made the raven stand. Once he was standing, the raven returned to his usual way of night action and began screaming. Izaya had woken them up at 3, Kadota at 3:15. They all managed to get to bed at 5:45.

To say Shizuo and Kadota looked exhausted by day four was an understatement. The two were able to have brief intermissions of time to nap during the day but it wasn’t much. Kadota was able to sleep in the back of Togusa’s van after he had finished his job for the day while the driver and the two otaku’s went and did their daily businesses. It was only an extra two hours at best but it was enough. As for Shizuo, he would stay up all day, eating and being active to keep himself awake, then once Tom said it was time to call it a day—which Shizuo had noticed their days had gotten a bit shorter with the more exhausted he began to look—he would head home, take a nap until eight at night then head over to Shinjuku. It was an hour of sleep at most, but at least it was something.

Now, neither of them were with the flea as he sat on Shinra’s couch. A folder sat on the coffee table in front of him while his foot tapped erratically against the ground—although both legs were still damaged, he only winced every now and then.

“He’s late.” Izaya grumbled.

“Just have patience. He’ll show up.”

Izaya just huffed.

As if on cue, the front door opened. But it wasn’t who they were waiting for.

“Hey, flea, Russian Sushi’s okay, right?”

“Eh? You actually bought me ootoro?”

“You said you were hungry, didn’t you?” Shizuo huffed and held the plastic bag out to him.

“Yay!” Izaya pulled the bento out and dug in.

“How about a thank you?”

Izaya’s cheeks puffed with food. He then put a hand over his mouth. “I’ada’imash.”

Izaya giggled before swallowing heavily.

Twenty minutes after Izaya finished eating, the psychic finally showed up.

“Sorry I’m late. I ran into traffic.”

Izaya didn’t say anything.

“Are you Orihara Izaya-san?”

“Yeah.”

He nodded and sat down in front of Izaya, looking him over.

“I’m Shikazu Ryojo. So, you’re friends told me you’ve been having nightmares.”

“Yup.”

“And you have scars that you stated were from the dream.”

“ _Yup_.” Izaya crossed his arms and glowered.

“...I get the feeling you’re irritated with me.”

“ _Yup~_.”

“Stop being difficult.” Shizuo karate chopped his head.

Izaya waved his hand away. “Stupid. That hurt.”

“It did not.”

“It did too!”

“Shut up already, you flea.”

“You shut up, you—”

“Did you draw these?”

Izaya turned back to the psychic, who was looking through the papers in the folder.

“Yeah…”

“You’re quite talented.”

“I know.”

“Are these the things in your dream?”

“...Yeah.”

“Hmm.”

Shizuo came around to look over the psychic’s shoulder at the pictures. He cocked a brow at seeing a creature with no arms standing hunched with its feet pointed inward. It had no face, as well, and there was a gaping hole in its chest, some black liquid gooping out of it.

“Out of all these monsters, which one shows up the most often?”

He handed the folder over. Izaya sighed in exasperation and skimmed through them. He pulled out two pictures.

“The Pyramid Head shows up a lot.”

“And who’s the little girl?”

“I don’t know her name. She’s always there.”

“What does she do? What’s her significance?”

Izaya shrugged. “She’s just a little girl. In that hell, I don’t think about anything but surviving so I take her with me when I come across her.”

“...I see…” He stared down at the paper.

“Is there something special about her except she’s a pedophile’s dream?”

He glanced up at him. Then let out a dry chuckle.

“Do you remember drawing this picture?”

Izaya tilted his head to the side. “Of course…”

The psychic stared at him. “Then I ask this. Do bad things happen when you’re around her?”

“Eh?”

He leaned forward, looking at Izaya with serious green eyes.

“Have you died because of her?”

Izaya’s sneer faded in an instant. He started to look uncomfortable as he fidgeted slightly.

“Why do you ask?” Izaya muttered.

He rested the picture on his lap, tracing his hand over it. “This girl is evil.”

“Evil? She’s just—”

“She is not. A demon in the guise of an innocent.”

“Excuse me?”

He leaned forward. “This child radiates evil. The grotesque pictures you showed me were plain and normal but this one.” He held up the picture, “is giving off a strange feeling. A bad aura if you will. As if the demon used your body to draw this.”

Shizuo’s eyes widened at that statement. The image of Izaya furiously scribbling the night before entered his mind.

‘ ** _No way. It can’t be…’_**

Izaya didn’t respond. Instead, he simply glared at the man.

“I have a feeling...that what I said upset you?” He reached forward and touched Izaya’s hand.

Izaya slapped his hand away.

“Izaya!” Shizuo reached forward and grabbed Izaya’s wrist tight. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Don’t touch him, sir.”

“You don’t know her!” Izaya yelled, trying to yank his wrist free. “So what right do you have to say she’s evil. I didn’t die _because_ of her! I died to protect her! She’s not evil! She’s just a little girl!”

“...I’m sorry to have offended you.”

Izaya huffed.

‘ ** _What the hell?’_** Shizuo thought, a little surprised.

“You three are his friends, correct?” The psychic stood and gestured to Shizuo, Shinra, and Celty. “I would like to speak with you, privately.”

They followed the psychic out onto the balcony, leaving Izaya to glare after them.

“We’re really sorry about that. He doesn’t usually get upset like that.” Shizuo explained.

“Is this a recent development?”

“I would say so.” Shizuo said.

He glanced back at Izaya.

“Why?”

“I think you’re friend has come in contact with a demon.”

“Hah?” Shizuo cocked a brow.

“I know that seems farfetched but what I said about that drawing was true. And when I touched his hand, I became very lightheaded.”

Shizuo and Celty casted each other a ‘look’—more of Shizuo looked at Celty with skepticism and assumed since the helmet turned towards him, she was thinking the same thing—while Shinra just smiled as if he knew that was bull but didn’t want to state it.

“So, you think he’s possessed?” Shizuo asked.

“No. I believe there is a demon in his life that is warping him. He has the power to send it away because it does not control him but he’s choosing to keep it in his life.”

“And why would he do that?”

“He may not be aware of it. It’s most-likely a subconscious desire.”

“And _why_ would he want that?”

“I wouldn’t be able to tell you that. Only he could.”

Shizuo was not convinced.

“He’s told us he had these nightmares since he was a child.” Shinra said. “But he started taking a medicine that was keeping him from having them.”

“...Hm.” He pondered that for a moment. “It’s possible the medicine he was taking had an ingredient that repelled demons, like a high concentration of iron.”

Shizuo was definitely not convinced. ‘ ** _So what, whenever Izaya eats a veggie shake or steak, he should be impermeable to demon attacks?’_**

“This demon may be getting closer to him with every dream.” The psychic said, drawing Shizuo’s attention back. “Similar to those that show up in mirrors. Is it alright if I do some tests?”

Shizuo didn’t really believe what this man had to say anymore. Starting the conversation with something as unbelievable as a demon interaction made the blond believe this man was a phony. And he made sure Celty knew by the look he casted her.

Celty typed on her PDA and showed it to Shizuo. _:We’ve got nothing else to lose by trying this.:_

Shizuo rolled his eyes. “Okay.” He looked at the psychic. “As long as these tests don’t hurt him then go ahead.”

The psychic nodded and returned to the raven.

“Orihara-kun, I would like to run some harmless tests.”

“How harmless?”

“Completely. They’re very simple.” He reached into his bag and pulled out a mirror and a camera. “You see, evil spirits and ghosts are invisible to the naked eye so see, these tests are very simple.”

“You think I’m possessed?”

“No. I believe you have something following you. And these tests shall prove me right or wrong.” He held the mirror up. “Now then, what do you see?”

“...Me.”

“No one else?”

“No.”

“Sir,” He gestured to Shizuo, “Will you sit with him?”

“...Sure…”

Shizuo sat down next to Izaya.

“Now both of you, what do you see?”

“Shizu-chan and I.”

Shizuo’s eyes widened.

“Shizu-san?”

“Um...j-just me and Izaya…”

Izaya casted him a quizzical glance.

‘ ** _Is Izaya lying?’_** He wondered, staring at the little black-haired girl standing behind them. He glanced at the raven in question. ‘ ** _Why would he lie? Is she making him lie? Or can he really not see her?’_**

“Let’s get a third opinion.” The psychic said. “Sir?” He beckoned to Shinra.

Shinra walked over and leaned over the couch, brushing arms with the ratty girl.

“I just see Izaya, Shizuo-kun, and myself.”

‘ ** _Shinra can’t see her either? So…’_**

“Um, question.” Shizuo started. “The mirror shows us what’s really in the room. So, is the ghost or whatever able to hide itself?”

“...Not that I know of. Why? Do you see something, Shizuo-san?”

“...No. I was just curious.” He casted his eyes to the ground.

‘ ** _What is going on?’_**

“Hmm. Alright. Let us move onto the second test.”

The psychic turned on the camera.

“You two can move.” He gestured to Shizuo and Shinra.

The two moved out of the shot as the psychic pointed the camera at Izaya.

He flashed a photo. Then looked at it.

His eyes squinted.

“Hmmm.”

“What?”

He looked up then back down at the camera.

He then handed it to Izaya.

There was a wispy black smudge over Izaya’s head.

“Is your lense dirty?” Izaya scoffed.

“Let me try again.”

Izaya handed it back and the psychic took another photo. This time the black mist was in front of Izaya’s legs.

The psychic glowered at the photo.

“Is it still there?”

“It moved.”

Izaya didn’t answer.

“Orihara-kun, I would like to do a summoning.”

“Excuse me?”

The psychic put the camera down.

“I would like to talk to this spirit.”

“...And how do you do that?”

“I would like you to fall asleep. And when you do, I shall ask the spirit to gain entry.”

“...So, you’re going to ask this whatever to possess me.”

Shizuo didn’t know how Izaya figured out that’s what he meant but he didn’t question it.

“...In a way.” The psychic said. “I’m going to conjure it and it will momentarily take ahold of your body but I will have a countenance so it can’t stay.”

“...” Izaya pursed his lips.

“I don’t think that’s safe.” Shizuo said.

“Don’t worry.” The psychic turned to the blond. “The countenance will make sure that nothing can take hold of his soul. Once I’m done asking it my questions, it’ll be expelled from the body. There will be no harm done to Orihara-kun.”

Shizuo only glowered at him then glanced at Izaya. The two made eye contact. They were obviously thinking the same thing from the skepticism in their expressions. But Izaya tilted his head in a way that seemed to mean he was okay with trying it and turned back to the psychic.

“Kay, go ahead.”

The psychic pulled out a marker. “Lie back.”

Izaya still looked hesitant but he obeyed, lying fully on the couch.

The psychic drew a sigil of some sort on Izaya’s neck. The raven twitched and swallowed then held his breath so he could draw without issues.

“This sigil will keep the spirit from possessing you. So now just close your eyes and let your mind go blank.”

Izaya stared up at him then cleared his throat and obeyed.

The psychic let his hand hover over Izaya’s face.

“I conjure and command you. Let yourself be known. I conjure and command you. Let yourself be known. I conjure and command you...” he repeated.

For a good five minutes, the psychic just stated the same phrase over and over and over. Nothing was happening, except for Izaya who every once in awhile twitched and turned his head to the side. Shizuo sat down in one of the chairs, watching the psychic intently.

Then, suddenly, Izaya gasped loudly, arching his back as he coughed. Shizuo jolted in surprise at the sudden noise, so did the psychic before he steeled himself and leaned forward.

“Are you the spirit that plagues Orihara Izaya?”

Izaya only wheezed.

“What do you want?”

“...He-help…”

“Do you want help?”

Izaya gasped.

“What is your name?”

“Ale-Alessa Alessa Gilles-Gillespie ‘lessa Gill…”

“Alessa Gillespie. What is your origin?”

“Help...me...It hurts. I’m...burning…”

Tears streaked down the side of Izaya’s face as his hands gripped the couch tightly. His eyes moved sporadically under his closed eyelids.

Then Izaya let out a blood-curtling scream. His feet kicked, his back arched, his hands gripped and slammed against the couch cushions.

Izaya!” Shizuo lunged forward.

“Shizuo, don’t!” The psychic yelled.

Shizuo’s hand fell on Izaya’s chest.

Izaya’s eyes flared open. His rusty brown eyes were completely black.

“Wha…”

Then darkness encased Shizuo’s vision.

* * *

 

Shizuo’s eyes opened groggily. He felt like he had been sleeping for a month and his head rang with a slight headache. He groaned and propped himself on his elbows, rubbing his hand over his face. Then he looked up to take in his surroundings.

His eyes widened.

Hell.

It looked like hell.

Buildings were burnt or burning, their walls leaking blood and glomps of what looked like flesh peeling off them and pooling on the ground. Shizuo leaped to his feet, looking around wildly. The ground under his shoes were burning hot and not even a foot in front of him the cement faded away into grating, fire and molten metal spooing up from the openings.

**_'Where am I? Where is this? I was at Shinra's—'_ **

The ground under Shizuo's feet shifted precariously, making him leap back. The cement was starting to crumble.

Shizuo turned and ran.

**_'This place can't be Izaya's dream, can it?'_ **

As if to answer his question, a gigaintic sword swung out of the alleyway at Shizuo's side. Shizuo leaped away, the tip of the blade slicing his biceps.  He called out in surprsie as his white sleeve turned red with his own blood.

His eyes widened at seeing a man near seven feet tall staring down at him. But it wasn't staring at him. At least, Shizuo couldn't see his eyes. Because a huge metal pyramid was over its head. The kilt that wrapped around its waist and reached to its ankles looked like flesh that had been stitched together, which made Shizuo feel nauseaous. What's worse, it looked as if it had no feet, just disgusting lumps of meat that were swarming with huge insects.

Shizuo backed away as the grotesque man took a huge lumbering step towards him.

The blond turned and ran.

 ** _'What_** IS **_that? It's not human! A monster!'_**

Shizuo didn't care where he ran, so long as it was away from that _thing_! He ran and ran with his wild eyes constantly looking around himself for some way to escape. He couldn't hear the thing coming after him but he did not dare to look back.

Then all too suddenly the ground crumbled out from under his feet. He gasped and attempted to step back but that did him no good. He screamed, his arms flying up due to gravity as he fell down into a burning mineshaft.

He continued to scream as he fell story after story down. His arms flailed to try and level himself, to try and make it so he didn't fall on his head and die from the impact. But no matter how he moved, he could not fix his position.

**_'Shit shit shit shit shit—'_ **

 Just when he started to resign himself to his fate of slamming into the burning floor, a hand grabbed his wrist. Shizuo instinctively gripped the hand in return and was jerked to a sudden stop. However it was short-lived as it caused his shoulder to pop sickeningly and the person who grabbed him was wrenched from his post. Now both Shizuo and his savior were falling. But the sudden jerk from before had stopped Shizuo from decending to his death to decending to his feet. The soles of his shoes slammed against the ground hard—any normal person would have definitely broken their ankles, but not Shizuo—and slipped out from underneath him, causing him to fall to his back.

The wind was knocked out of him not once but twice: once when he slammed against the ground, and the second when the person who saved him landed square on his chest. He hacked and coughed, his arms wrapping around his savior subconsciously.

“Are you okay?”

Shizuo just wheezed.

Izaya rolled off Shizuo and sat over him, looking around with worry.

“What— ***cough*** —what was that...thing?” Shizuo hacked.

“Which one?”

“The...triangle head...”

“Red Pyramid was after you?”

Shizuo nodded as he sat up.

Izaya looked up to the top of the mineshaft.

“Come on. We have to move.” Izaya grabbed Shizuo's arm and tugged him to his feet.

“Wh-why?”

“What do you mean why? When Red Pyramid has a victim in sight, he won't stop till he's got it.”

Shizuo's eyes widened and he quickly leaped to his feet, letting Izaya hold his wrist and lead him into a side hall. As they ran, Shizuo noticed Izaya was looking for something, his eyes always casting around to find it.

**_'Alessa? Is he looking for her?'_ **

Suddenly, Izaya stopped, Shizuo coliding into him and knocking them both to the ground.  He expected Izaya to bicker about how Shizuo needs to watch where he's going but the raven remained silent under the blond, listening and looking around intently.

Then Shizuo heard it.

The sound of a child crying.

Shizuo pinpointed it before Izaya but he didn't move from his spot.

_“A demon in the guise of an innocent.”_

**_'The girl is the one causing this. Is she really just a little girl? Or—'_ **

Izaya struggled to get out from under Shizuo.

“Get off me, you brute!”

Izaya somewhat successfully pushed Shizuo off and was to his feet in a heartbeat.

“Wait, Izaya!” Shizuo grabbed the raven's wrist.

“What are you doing?”

“Iz-Izaya, we have to get out of here.”

“I know that! Can't you hear her?! There's a little girl—”

“Leave her.” **_'She's only going to trick you.'_**

Izaya's eyes widened. “You...damn coward! You'd let a child die to save your own skin?!” Izaya jerekd his arm.

“Of course not!” **_'She's not a child!'_**

“You sicken me!” Izaya yanked his arm free. “Cowardly monster!”

With that, the raven turned and ran.

“Izaya, wait!” He gave chase.

 ** _'Who are you calling a coward?_** You're **_the most cowardly out of the two of us! You're the one who always runs from our fights instead of taking my punches! You're the one who's always screwing peoples lives up from afar! So why are you acting like a hero now?! You stupid flea!'_**

Izaya ran through a doorway, the door falling off its hinges, and disappeared inside. The room was pitch black so Shizuo couldn't see anything. Anxiety crept up his core, keeping him from stepping into the room.

But then Shizuo had to worry about something else. He heard an inhuman metallic moan behind him and quickly turned around.

The Red Pyramid had his scaple-like blade raised high above his head in a powerful swing. Shizuo dropped to his knees, the blade shortening his hair by a centimeter and indenting into the wall.

Shizuo could see an opening to escape right in front of him. If he were to run forward under the monsters arm then he could get away with no issues. But if he did then he'd be leaving Izaya to face this thing alone. So instead  Shizuo balled his fist and slammed it into the creatures triangular head. The monster let out a strangled sound of pain as it fell away, it's metal grating on the side indenting from the blow.

“Izaya!” Shizuo called.

Even before he finished his word, Izaya came into light, a little girl clinging to him desperately.

“What are you still doing here—”

“Shut up! Lets go—”

Shizuo's words fell into a call of surprise and pain as a huge hand grabbed his hair and pulled him back.

“Shizuo!”

Izaya was at his side in a moment, the little girl sitting on the ground in a fit of tears. Izaya slammed his foot hard into the creatures chest. It proved ineffective and only allowed the pyramid head to grab Izaya by his throat.

Shizuo clenched his teeth as he saw the little girl look up at them.

“Stay...way...” Izaya choked , kicking his feet that were nearly a foot off the ground.

**_'You're still only worried about her? Idiot...'_ **

Shizuo growled as he stood on his feet, still holding the monsters hand that was on his hair. Then with a call of rage, he pivoted on one foot and slammed the other into Red Pyramid's chest.

It screeched and fell back, it's hold on Izaya releasing but not on Shizuo's hair. However, Shizuo's feet were firmly planted on the ground so Red Pyramid ended up ripping out a clump of blond hair.

Shizuo screamed in pain and held his head.

“Are you okay?!” Izaya grabbed Shizuo's biceps.

“Fine! Come on!” He grabbed Izaya's wrist and tugged.

“Wait, Alessa.” Izaya pulled his wrist free and scooped the girl into his arms.

Shizuo led the way through the maze of halls and burning mines. His eyes searched for some form of escape in every mineshaft they came to but every ladder was either broken at the top or at the middle. And more than once they came across a locked door.

When Shizuo felt like there was no way out, he finally spotted something.

A metal patio sat blocking one of the hallways. But it became a pedistal to a large vent.

“Up there?” Izaya called a second before Shizuo.

The two men rushed over quickly.

“Here, you first.” Shizuo said.

“No, you. If it can't hold your weight then it won't hold any of ours.”

Shizuo wanted to argue with him but the clanking of a sword against the ground shut him up in an instant. They had _no time_ to argue!

Izaya put Alessa down and cupped his hands against his knee. Shizuo stepped in the mold and used his shoulders for balance as the raven, with a hefty grunt, hoisted him up to the edge.

Shizuo pulled himself up and distributed his weight over the stand. It creaked but didn't give out.

“It's okay!” He turned around to the edge—

And saw Red Pyramid lumbering towards the two.

“Hurry!” Shizuo lied on his belly and reached down to them.

Izaya grabbed Alessa and tossed her up to Shizuo. Shizuo easily pulled her up and desperately reached for the raven.

Izaya jumped up. Their hands locked. Shizuo tugged.

Red Pyramid reached for Izaya.

And missed.

The two adults sighed in relief as Shizuo pulled the raven up all the way.

But their triumph was short lived.

With an inhuman call of rage, Red Pyramid swung his blade. The grates under Izaya's sprawled out left leg was cut away. And blood sprayed from the raven's limb.

Izaya's scream of pain was deafening.

Shizuo quickly tugged Izaya away from the now careening edge and towards the vent. He motioned for Alessa to go on into the vent first as Shizuo had to drag Izaya to safety. Izaya groaned in pain with every movement while clinging to Shizuo desperately.

Even when they were in the safety of the vent, Shizuo continued to drag Izaya further inside. Till his back met empty air.

Shizuo reached his arm out to grab something to catch himself but all he managed to do was knock Alessa down with them. Quickly he reached around and curled his arm around the little girl and brought both Alessa and Izaya to his chest.

He landed shoulder blades first on solid concrete. He groaned, not in pain but because with his back hitting the floor and two people landing on him, it knocked the breath right out of his lungs—again. But he quickly tried to cough it off when he felt his shin's getting wet with what he knew was Izaya's blood.

“Iza— ***hack*—** Izaya. Izaya!”

  Shizuo moved the two off him and automatically turned to Izaya.

His eyes widened in horror.

Izaya's leg...

Was split in two.

In many shows Shizuo had seen, people lose their legs by someone cutting it off and making it a stump. But Izaya didn't have that privalege. His leg was split down the center, cut in half along the lines of his bones all the way up to his hip. Half of his shin was missing, having dislodged from his shattered knee cap.

And in the next moment, Shizuo heard it rolled out of the vent and fall to the ground behind them with a sickening splat. 

Shizuo felt like he was going to puke. No, he _knew_ he was going to puke.

He turned away and did just that, coughing and wretching.

**_'This really is hell! Izaya goes through this everytime he sleeps? No wonder he's going crazy!'_ **

Shizuo was pulled from his thoughts as something similar to a baby's cry and a cat screech filled the vent shaft. He looked around quickly but couldn't see anything coming, although the noise was getting closer and closer.

“Shit...” Shizuo looked around for an escape.

“Run...”

Shizuo's eyes widened at hearing Izaya speak. He thought the raven had fallen unconscious. Izaya's been awake this whole time with that gushing injury!

The screeching got louder and Shizuo looked up again, this time to see shadows cascading from  one of the vents.

“Fuck!” Shizuo looked around again, spotting a vent opposite the one with monsters. “In there. Go.” He barked to Alessa as he stooped to pick up Izaya.

“Get out of here.” Izaya groaned.

“What?”

“Get out. Hurry.”

“I am. Come on, flea—”

“I'm dead, Shizuo.”

Shizuo's eyes widened.

“When the femoral artery is cut, a person automatically collapse's due to the blood pressure drop and they'll bleed out in less than a minute. By the time we get to a safe location for you to tend to me, I'll be dead. And dead people can't protect anyone.”

“What are you—”

“Protect Alessa.” Izaya's breathing started to become raspy. “She'll die without someone there for her. And I'm now useless.”

“You—YOU CAN'T BE—”

“HURRY UP AND GO! You don't have time!”

The screeches grew louder, something sharp scraping against the metal walls.

Shizuo looked from the bleary-eyed raven to the scared little girl. She was the real monster of all this, wasn't she? She's the one who was controlling this dream, controlling the monsters, controlling when Izaya died and what manner he died in. Why should Shizuo protect her? Izaya was all he cared about and the other monster's wouldn't attack her anyway.

Right?

“Izay—”

“Protect Alessa.” Izaya wheezed. “She needs you. Please?”

Shizuo clenched his teeth.

**_'Dammit.'_ **

Shizuo turned and shoved Alessa to his chest. He turned to the vent and crawled away from the dying raven.

Once they made it around the bend, Shizuo put Alessa down and made her crawl beside him.

They turned around another bend and froze as Izaya's scream of agony echoed off the walls, followed by the sounds of inhuman screeching and something splattering against the metal.

Shizuo's eyes widened in horror.

**_'He's still alive! Those things got him! Why—'_ **

Izaya's screams turned into choking and coughing. Shizuo covered his ears to try and drown out the noise but no matter how hard he pressed against them, he could still hear that scream.

Then he felt wind against his cheek. He opened his eyes, wondering if there was an opening somewhere. But instead he saw darkness flowing from the girl. Her eyes were pure black and a blank expression lied across her features.

Shizuo backed away. “What—”

“He's passed.”

“Eh?”

Suddenly the whole world of Shizuo's was encased in black. He closed her eyes and shielded himself with his arms.

Then it was silent.

Shizuo peeked through the space in his arms.

Utter and complete black.

Where was he?

He looked around himself and rested his arm against the ground. Only to retract it when he felt his hand get wet. He pulled his hand up to inspect the substance, scared it was going to be blood, but there was nothing there. Then he noticed something else. It was pitch black yet he could see his hand as clear as day. So he wasn't blind, that was a good sign. That meant this place was pitch black by design. That still didn't explain where he was, however.

But his attention was quickly drawn away by the sound of someone gasping and choking.

Shizuo leaped to his feet and looked around, the squish of stepping on water echoing around him. He easily spotted Izaya lying on the ground some twenty feet away.

“Izaya, are you okay?!” **_'Please dont be dead!'_**

Shizuo ran over as Izaya sat up, standing on his two feet. Not one-and-a-half but two.

**_'He's healed. Then are we awake? No. No way. We were at Shinra's house. But I can't be blind so where...?'_ **

“Izaya!” Shizuo nearly strangled him, he was so happy to see he was alright, hugging him as tightly as he could. Then he quickly let go and looked to see if the injuries were truly gone.

“Stop groping me, idiot!” Izaya karate-chopped his head.

Shizuo held his cranium although it didn't hurt.

“Sorry, I was just—you're okay.”

“Of course I am. None of my injuries transfer over into the real world unless Alessa touches them.”

“But...this can't be the real world, can it?”

Izaya looked around. “I don't think so. I hope not.”

“Then...where are we?”

His question was answered as barded wire rose up from the water-like floor around them. The two looked around in shock before the wires aimed to wrap around them. Shizuo quickly grabbed Izaya, not to run but to shield him with his strong body.

The barbed wire wrapped around them, tightly, biting into their skin and tearing there clothes. Shizuo held Izaya tightly against his chest, trying to take the brunt of the cuts while the wires continued to wrap and wrap and coil around them like a snake that had caught it's prey.

Once the two were tightly bound, something else came out of the water. A person, covered in blood and dangling from his arms as if he was crusified with barbed wire.

It was the psychic.

Shizuo closed his eyes and buried his face into Izaya's shoulder. He didn't want to see anymore!

On the other hand, Izaya couldn't take his eyes away. The psychic's eyes were gone and his cheek had been torn to expose his mullars and tongue. He was the opitamy of grotesque but to Izaya it was bearable compared to the other disturbing monster that he had been exposed to.

The psychic floated over to him, the barbed wires seeming to push him toward the raven and his terrified blond.

When that deformed face was inches away from Izaya's, the psychic's lips pulled back into a grin, his racid breath of blood and decay made tears come to Izaya's eyes.

“Come to Silent Hill.”

* * *

 

Shizuo and Izaya's eyes widened as the both gasped, sitting up from their sleeping positions. Izaya was still lying on the couch while Shizuo was on his knees in front of it, his head resting next to Izaya's knee.

The psychic was lying on his back on the coffee table, head lolled back over the edge.

“Are you two alright?” Shinra called, keeping a safe distance from the two.

Neither answered as they looked at each other.

Then Shizuo rushed over to the psychic's side. He checked his pulse and sure enough, there was none.

“Call an ambulance!” Shizuo called, bakcing away from the body.

Shinra was confused but did as ordered and pulled out his phone.

Izaya just stared at the psychic from his place on the couch. While Celty ran over to Shizuo to concel and question him. The raven then stood, a nagging suspicion drawing him to the psychic's mouth.

He forced his jaws apart and stared down his throat.

“Izaya, what are you doing?!” Shizuo yelled in near outrage as he tugged Izaya away from the corpse like he was a child that didn't know not to touch dead things.

But Izaya's suspicions were right.

There was barbed wire peeking out of the back of his throat.


	7. Chapter 5: Make It Stop!

Shizuo hadn't seen Izaya for nearly three weeks. He left before the police showed up at Shinra's—so did Celty, but her disappearing act was understandable—where the psychic was reported dead on sceen. The autopsy showed that he had swallowed barbed wire and thus Shinra and Shizuo were not to blame. Although the investiagion was still going on, the three friends were in the clear.

There were two things Shizuo didn't understand. One was how in the world does someone swallow barbed wrie? Was it Alessa? And if so how did she do it? She shouldn't be able to leave Izaya's dream. She can't do anything in the real world, right?

His other form for confusion was why did Izaya leave so quickly? Why did he run out like he was to blame? Celty and Shinra said that all three of them fell unconscious so there was no way it was Izaya's fault.

Unless Alessa used Izaya's body to kill the psychic...

Shizuo shook his head. He honestly had no idea what he was thinking about. He felt like he was walking around half alseep, only slightly aware of his surrounding. More than once, Tom had to stop him from walking out in front of a truck and it got to the point where Tom told Shizuo to go home and rest.

The terror's of what he saw in Izaya's dreams still haunted him. He was scared of falling asleep in case he started suffering the same thing the flea did. But unlike Izaya, he didn't have the stamina to stay up past his bedtime so he wasn't turning into an insomniac and his dreams had only snippits of what he remembered. Either he was dreaming off of memory like any normal dream or Alessa wasn't strong enough to enter his mind all the way.

No that's not right.

Why would Alessa have any interest in him?

Shizuo wasn't anything special.

And she had Izaya so why would she bother with him?

Shizuo sighed as he looked up at the sky. It was pointless to try and figure out a demon's motives.

“Hey, Shizu-chan.”

Shizuo jolted.

“Well, aren't you jumpy. Guess our little trip to dreamland has affected you a bit, huh?”

“Iz-Izaya, hey, uh.” Shizuo turned around to stare at the smiling raven. “How—where've you been?”

“Cool, so the truce is still on.” Izaya chuckled as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I've been home. Studying up on Silent Hill.”

“...And?”

“Heh, it's just some place in West Virgina. It's currently abandoned so it won't be hard to investigate.”

“West Virginia?” The word sounded strange on Shizuo's tongue. “Where's that at?”

“Eh~? Did you never pay attention in Social Studies? It's a state in America, stupid.”

Shizuo chose to ignore that insult at the end. “You...plan to go to America?”

“Well, yeah.”

“By yourself?”

“...Well, yeah~. I don't know that many people who'd leave the country to hunt down monsters.”

Shizuo hestitated before saying, “Can I go with you?”

Izaya's eyes widened. His mouth opened but nothing came out for a _really~_ long time. “Why would you...?”

“I don't know.” Shizuo adverted his eyes. “I just don't think its smart for you to go alone...”

**_'And if your luck is no different than in your dream, you won't last five minutes.'_ **

“...Well, if you want.” Izaya shrugged. “I don't know if you'll be of any use. I know you can't speak English and you're a dimwit so you aren't a good detective. If anything, you'll just draw attention—”

Izaya heard something break and opened his eyes to see Shizuo's fist indenting the wall at his side.

“How 'bout I come for moral support—HM?!”

Izaya just stared at him.

“Pssh, Shizu-chan's so kind.” He grinned.

Shizuo glowered at him.

“So, I got a few questions for ya.” Izaya held up a finger. “Question number one, do you have a passport?”

Shizuo opened his mouth but nothing came out.

“Alright, question number two; how do you intend to buy your plane ticket?”

Shizuo glowered at the ground.

Question number three, do you think _I'll_ get both for you?”

He glared at the raven. **_'Same shitty attitude...'_**

Izaya smiled at his silent blond. “Well, be happy I'm in a good mood, because I _will_ get both for you.”

“Eh?”

Izaya twirled around. “You'll need to get your picture taken but other than that, I can take care of the rest.”  He then pranced away down the sidewalk. “Keep your phone charged, okay?”

Shizuo stared after him, then scoffed and turned away. “Saying I'd be useless when your obviously eager for me to go.”

**_'I don't think he realizes just how much his mask is slipping.'_ **

* * *

 

**“Boarding call for Flight #138. I repeat, boarding call for Flight #138.”**

Shizuo stood up, grabbing his duffle bag and tossing it over one shoulder. He didn't pack that much stuff, just four pairs of clothes, deoderant, and a toothbrush. But he only owned a duffle bag and buying a suitcase would be pointless when he already had something so he dealt with a half-empty bag.

Shizuo looked around, trying to find the entryway to the plane. But with so many people crowding him and blocking the signs, he couldn't figure the place out. He took in a deep breathe to keep his temper from flaring as he continued to search and look.

“Shi~zu~chan~!”

Shizuo felt his irritant rise.

“You lost already? Hey, why'd you pack a duffle bag? We'll only be gone for four or five days. Eh? It's empty? Why are you bringing an empty duffle bag?”

***Thwack***

Shizuo swung his duffle bag into Izaya. He caused the raven to bump into a fancy-dressed woman who glowered at him. He quickly apologized, a slight blush on his cheeks. Shizuo grinned.

“You asshole.” Izaya growled. “Just for that, you're on your own. Find the plane yourself.”

With a huff, he turned and walked away. But with so many people he couldn't run so Shizuo easily followed.

In about thrity minutes, the two were sitting in First Class, Shizuo by the window and Izaya on the outside.

“How long till we take off?” Shizuo asked.

Izaya checked his watch. “Meh, fourty minutes.”

Forty?” Shizuo glared. “What are we supposed to do till then?”

Izaya pulled out a laptop from his bag.

“The fuck? I thought you couldn't bring electronics.”

“You can, stupid. You brought your phone, right?”

“No.”

Izaya glowered at him. “What do you mean no? We're going to be _investigating_ and you decided to leave your phone?”

“Shut up! You're not supposed to bring electronics on a plane!”

“No, you're not supposed to have them _on during_ the flight. Because the frequencies get on the intercom of the pilots deck.”

Shizuo blushed. “Sh-shut up, dumbass!”

“I'm not the one who left my phone.”

“I said shut up!”

Shizuo turned his back on him with a huff, dropping his seat back so it was almost flat.

“Hey, don't do that!”

“Shut up, I'm taking a nap.”

“We're not the only ones on First Class. You can't lie your seat back over another's seat. That's rude.”

Shizuo didn't answer, crossing his arms over his chest and getting comfy before closing his eyes.

* * *

 

Shizuo groaned as he opened his eyes.

**_'Eh? Did I really fall asleep?'_ **

Shizuo groaned and sat up, reaching down to grope for the handle and sit the chair back up. He leaned down and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands, propping his elbows on his knees.

Then he looked around. Izaya was gone, although there were others sitting in the isle across from him. A woman chuckled and turned away, tryingto hid her expression.

**_'Hm?'_ **

He glanced down to his hands.

And glared at the fact that his palms were black.

“Do you have a mirror?” He asked the woman.

She held back a chuckle, but handed over a make-up mirror.

“THE HELL?! IZAYA!!”

His eyelids had been colored black with markers and he had three whiskers on each of his cheeks.

He could hear the flea's laugh behind him and he quickly turned to see the culprit.

“You bastard! The hell d'you draw on my face for?”

“Waah! It's an angry Tanuki! Run away!”

“Don't run on a plane, you idiot!”

“Don't get violent on a plane, either! The plane police'll taze you!”

Shizuo growled as he walked over.

Izaya smiled as he turned sideways so there was more room for Shizuo to walk past.

“Bathrroms in the ba—hey, let go!” Izaya started, only to protest as Shizuo grabbed his wrist and tugged him along. “Are you throwing a silent tantrum, let go already!”

“Shut up, you're washing it off!”

“Hah? What, you're incapable of doing it youself?”

“I said shut up!”

Shizuo dragged Izaya into the bathroom and sat down on the toilet, glaring up at the flea. Izaya glared back before pulling wetnap's out from under the plastic sink.

“Why do I have to do this? I'm not your mommy, Shizu-chan.” Izaya rumbled as he leaned down and wiped at Shizuo's closed eyes.

“You made the mess, you clean it up.”

Izaya just rolled his eyes, which Shizuo obviously missed.

“So, since we're here, tell me more about Silent Hill.” Shizuo said.

“Hm?”

“I'm going to America to investigate this place. Might as well know what happened there.”

“...Well, for starts, the whole town was supposedly made on old Indian burial ground 100 years ago. And the American's have a common knowledge nowadays that you should never make or do anything on Indian burial ground or misfortunes are _going_ to befall you. Kind of like a, 'no wonder you're having all these problems. You're on this land', sort of thing.

“Today,” the raven continued, “the whole town is empty, abandoned, and off limits to the public. It's essentially a ghost town. There was this fire, you see, and underneath the town the coal mines became ablaze. Reports say they weren't able to locate half of the bodies. They also say the fire's still burning deep underground, which is why the town's off limit. Also, because of the fires, the air is toxic with carbon monoxide so when we get there, we're going to need medical masks.”

“Alright. So, that's it? What started the fire?”

“I don't know. All I could find on Silent Hill were newspaper clippings and ghost town websites. There were no police records. Probably because of how old and small the town was, technology hadn't really reached them just yet. Everything is most-likely paper files still so we won't be able to find out the cause of such a huge fire till we get to Brahms.”

“Brahms?”

“Yeah, it's where most of the surviving residents of Silent Hill went to. Brahms is only a few miles away, down at the base of the mountain.”

“Wait, it's on a mountain?”

“Not on the top but it's up there a bit.”

“Why aren't their any stories in those newspapers that stated why the fire started? Wouldn't that be the first thing people would want to know is how a fire that large of scale got sparked? It doesn't make sense.”

“...Are you suspicious that there was some form of foulplay?”

“...No, no. I'm not saying that. I'm just saying—”

“American cops have been known to be shady, especially in the hick-based towns. I wouldn't be surprised they don't want people to find out if something horrible happened there.”

“Don't call cops shady. I'm sure they were doing the best they can and most-likely were just trying to make sure the civilians don't get panicked.”

Izaya rolled his eyes, which Shizuo also obviously missed.

“What else, flea?”

“As far as I know, that's it. Nothing really else came up about the place.”

“Is it safe to go there? I mean, the ground isn't going to crumble at our feet from the fires underground, right?” Shizuo asked, remembering the first thing that happened to him in their shared dream experience.

“As far as I know it won't but we'll be careful, nonetheless. We may need to watch out for fanatics but other than that—”

“Fanatics?”

“Yeah. There was one police report I was able to dig up that had to do with Silent Hill—it was the only one, actually. A couple of years, there was this guy who kidnapped a child, took him up to Silent Hill, and threw him down a mineshaft. A police officer named Cybil Bennett went down there and was with the kid for three days before they were rescued. The child didn't make it, as far as I can tell.”

“She got down there but couldn't get back out?” Shizuo looked skeptic.

“That's not the point. The point is the guy had nothing to say in his testimony so I can only assume he didn't do it because he was upset. He did it because he thought he was right. Those type of people are the ones we need to worry about. What's more, since the town is abandoned, there may be a good couple of criminals or psycho's hiding in it.”

“Hm. You know, it kinda seems mundane.”

“How is underground fires, toxic air, and fanatics mundane?”

“...Well, I mean. If it was as bad as the dreams you have, wouldn't it, you know, be under intense servailance? The police of Brahms wouldn't be able to maintain or hide those monsters if they came down the mountain and attacked travelers and tourists. The, uh, FBI or whatever would get involved fast, wouldn't they?”

“I don't know if the FBI would get involved. Maybe the state police but probably not the FBI. But, honestly, I think the dreams are exaggerated. I've seen photos of this town. None of the houses were on fire and the ground wasn't crumbling.”

“Then why...”

“Why what?”

“Why are you, a Tokyo resident whose never been to America, having dreams about this supposedly ordinary ghost town?”

“...I don't know. We'll find out when we get there.”

Shizuo wasn't so happy with that answer. It just didn't seem to make sense. Why the hell would an American ghost haunt a Japanese person?

“Done!” Izaya smiled, throwing away the wetnaps.

Shizuo stood and checked himself in the mirror.

**_'Good, he didn't lie.'_ **

“Now then, let's go sit.” Izaya said as he opened the door, Shizuo following behind him. “The attendent said we'll be landing in another two hours.”

“You expect me to sit for two hours? Screw th—”

Shizuo's eyes widened as he saw a little black-haired girl walk past them. He turned and saw the girl leave first class through the curtains.

Shizuo followed.

“Eh? Shizu-chan?” Izaya followed as well.

“Hey, wait!”

Shizuo grabbed the girl's shoulder.

She jolted and turned around, staring at Shizuo wide-eyed.

“ _Hey, get your hands off my daughter!_ ” A woman yelled in a language Shizuo didn't know.

“What are you doing?!” Izaya grabbed Shizuo's hand and yanked him back. Switching spots, Izaya bowed to the mother deeply. “ _I'm so very sorry about that. He had your daughter confused with someone else._ ”

“Sorry.” Shizuo bowed.

When he looked back, his eyes widened yet again.

The little girl, her school uniform dirty and hair ragged, looked back at Shizuo further down the isle. She then turned and walked off.

“Um, excuse me.”

“Shizu-chan?”

He shimmied past the mother and daughter, Izaya apologizing and doing the same.

“What are you doing?” Izaya grabbed his arm. “You look like a psycho.”

“Can't you see her?” Shizuo continued down the isle, dragging Izaya along.

In the back row, a man stood, a badge on his breat pocket showing he was the plane's security.

“See who? Shizu-chan, quit being weird. Let's go back to our seats—”

A rack of turbulance cut Izaya's words off. Shizuo fell back into an empty seat with the flea on top of him. The plane cop was leaning against a seat heavily till the shaking stopped.

“Come on, Shizu-chan~.” Izaya whined as he struggled to stand from his awkward position on Shizuo's stomach and lap. “We should go sit back down~.”

Shizuo wasn't paying attention. He was watching the little girl—no, the demon, Alessa—walk towards the pilots' hub.

She looked back at Shizuo, her pure black eyes staring into the blonds.

Then she turned and phased through the door.

“Shizu-chan?”

**_'This is going to be bad.'_ **

On cue with his words, the plane tilted at a dizzying angle. Respiratory masks fell from the top compartments as people screamed. Izaya's eyes widened and he went to stand only for Shizuo to pull him back down.

The two fell out of the seat as the plane tilted at another angle. Shizuo held Izaya close, slamming shoulders first into the emergency door.

“What's going on?!”

“ _Mommy, I'm scared_!”

“Make it stop!”

“ _I'm gonna puke!_ ”

“Shizu-chan!”

Shizuo held Izaya tightly.

Then everything exploded in noise as the pilots' hub tore away from the plane. Peoples' screams were drowned out by the sound of rushing wind. Chairs were torn from the cab along with their occupants.

Shizuo held onto Izaya tightly with one hand while holding onto the emergency door handle. Izaya's nails dug into Shizuo's shoulders, his face pressed to the blond's chest with his eyes closed tight shut.

The handle twisted in Shizuo's hand, the wind pushing the door open.

The door tore off its hinges, taking Shizuo and Izaya with it.

Then it was eerily silent. All Shizuo could hear was the sound of wind rushing past them. He could see the ground coming closer and closer.

He was going to die.

There was no way his body could withstand this fall.

Izaya was going to die too.

They were going to die!

**_'If this is a dream, let us wake up quickly!'_ **

Shizuo squeezed Izaya and closed his eyes tight shut.


	8. Chapter 6: Why'd He Go Without Me?

Shizuo groaned as he opened his groggy eyes.

Orange.

He was lying in something orange. And soft. And plastic.

He sat up and looked around.

He was lying in an orange life raft. But he wasn't in water. He was in the middle of a road, a mountain face on his right and a cliff on his left. The sky was a foggy gray, no rays of sunlight piercing through any of the clouds while snow was falling from them.

Where?

He was on a plane, wasn't he?

He tried to remember what had happened.

He took a nap on the plane. When he woke, he found out Izaya had made him into a racoon. They washed it off while Izaya told him about where they were going.

Then he saw Alessa and...

Shizuo's eyes widened in horror.

“Izaya?!”

He looked around desperately but the raven wasn't anywhere in sight.

**_'Oh, god did he...'_ **

His hand brushed against something solid and he looked down to see...

Izaya's cellphone.

 _One_ of Izaya's cellphone!

So he _did_ make it. He must have been lying by Shizuo and when he got up, it slipped out of his pocket—

Wait, why would he leave?

Unless...

He's sleepwalking again?

Shiuzo started to fall into a panic as he grabbed the phone and stood. He ran over to the cliffside and looked over the edge. He couldn't see the bottom and he could see that it was definitely deep. If Izaya fell off this...

 ** _'No.'_** He shook his head wildly. **_'No no no. Izaya's alive somewhere. He's alive, I know it!'_**

Although he had no proof, he refused to believe Izaya was dead. He absolutely refused!

The only person who's allowed to kill Orihara Izaya is Heiwajima Shizuo! No one else! No other monster will rob him of what was rightfully his!

With that unwavering determination, Shizuo turned back to the raft. He looked down one way then the other.

Having no clue which led where, he chose to go west and ran.

**_'Izaya, be safe. I'm coming for you.'_ **

* * *

 

Izaya felt bleary as he opened his eyes. He cringed as he saw bright orange around him. He groggily turned on his back and folded his arm over his eyes.

Why was it so bright? The plane had dimming lights, didn't it? So why aren't they dimming...

Izaya shot up with a gasp.

The plane crashed!

He was dead—

Wait, no he wasn't. He was breathing. He was alive. And sitting in an orange life raft in the middle of a cliffside highway. A fog hung over the mountains, snow falling from the sky.

**_'Snow? But it's not cold.'_ **

Izaya held out his hand and three snowflakes landed in his hand. They didn't dematerialize to his touch so he closed his hand over them and opened it.

**_'Ash...It's raining ashes...'_ **

He looked around.

**_'Then is this....Silent Hill?'_ **

He looked around again, looked for burning buildings and distorted creatures. But there was nothing. No bright colors but the raft he sat in. Evything else was monochrome. Void of life.

Void of any form of a blond bartender.

Izaya stood.

“Shizu-chan?” He called.

There was no answer.

“SHIZU-CHAN!” He yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth.

His call echoed off the rocks for a good minute before falling silent.

And there was no reply.

**_'Why would he leave without me? Did he go looking for help and he didn't want to wake me? Was he even here to begin with? Did he land somewhere else? Did he even make it at all?'_ **

“Dammit—hm?”

His eyes caught sight of something red on the moutain face. He ran over and his eyes widened.

**_'Shizu-chan's bow tie.'_ **

And under the bow tie was an arrow scrawled in the rock pointed east.

**_'He went that way. Why'd he go without me?'_ **

Izaya clenched his teeth as he stuffed the bow tie in his pocket. He walked back to the raft and pulled out a yellow flip phone. He opened it before pulling out another blue phone. He quickly transferred the contents over to the other phone, then went about putting his blue cellphone's number in it.

Then he put the now empty-but-one-contact phone in the raft.

**_'Just in case we miss each other.'_ **

He then turned and ran east.

* * *

 

 ** _'Dammit, dead end.'_** Shizuo thought, swallowing down his anxiety as he stood at the end of the road—literally. The road was destroyed, torn away to nothing but an empty canyon. He could see the road continue on the otherside, as if a giant monster had trudged through.

Shizuo looked down the canyon, hoping not to see a raven-haired man but expecting it. When he couldn't find any trace, he turned and ran back to the raft.

The raven still wasn't there.

**_'Dammit.'_ **

He looked around. He could at least leave Izaya something so he knew where he went. But there was no writing material around.

So he ran over to the cliff face and grabbed a rock. He took at least five minutes scrawling an arrow pointing east. Then he turned and ran down the street.

* * *

 

“SHIZU-CHAN~!” Izaya yelled, the name bouncing off the walls of the building.

He was in a town. Not burning and destroyed like in his dreams. But definitely run-down. And abandoned. He hadn't seen a single soul the whole way there. No monsters and no people. The houses looked like people hadn't attended to them in years. A thick layer of ash caked the windows, blocking the view of the inside and all the cars were either stuck or  squished. The concrete stuck up in sporadic clumps, long cracks leading this way and that.

Izaya looked around, hoping to spot a blond head down an alleyway.

“SHI~ZU~CHA~N~!!”

**_'Where could he have gone?!'_ **

Izaya's cheeks puffed in frustration to no reply before he expelled it out in a heavy sigh.

He turned to a window and began writing in the ashes.

_Shizu-chan, it's Izaya. If you got the phone I left, call me. If you see this and don't have the phone, go back to the raft, I left it there._

He rubbed his index and thumb together to get the ashes off.

**_'I wrote it in kanji so if any American's see it, they shouldn't be able to read it. I doubt anyone in West Virgina has studied up or even been to Japan.'_ **

He sighed and read over the message for any mistakes.

Then his eyes widened.

In the clearned line of one of the character's, he could see a little girl staring at him in the reflection.

He turned around quickly. The girl spun around and ran.

“ _Hey! Wait!_ ” He gave chase.

Izaya never broke stride as he ran after her, but no matter how hard his feet pounded against the ground, he couldn't catch up. When he was certain that turning the corner would have her within reach, she would be at the end of the alleyway.

“ _I'm not going to hurt you! Please, wait!_ ”

She ignored him.

**_'Come on, I'm speaking English for christ's sake.'_ **

“ _Wait!_ ”

Izaya wasn't sure how long or how far he chased after the little girl who haunted his dreams. All he knew was that he lost her. Not because he didn't know where she went. But because a loud piercing siren rang out across the area.

* * *

 

Shizuo ran as quickly as he could. His feet slammed against the ground in a repeated rhythm as he continued on his search for Izaya.

He slowed only when he saw a sign coming up out of the haze. He stopped completely to read it and his eyes widened.

_Welcome to SILENT HILL_

The paint was peeled off here and there but there was no missing the bold yellow words.

**_'We...made it? How the hell did that happen?'_ **

He looked past the sign to see a town through the gray of the fog.

**_'That's...Silent Hill?'_ **

Shizuo narrowed his eyes to try and see the town clearer. Then he ruffled his hair to get the snow out of it. It had built up while he was running and now that he was standing still, he could feel it irritating his scalp.

His eyes widened when he pulled his hand away and saw that it was a sooty black.

**_'Ashes...?'_ **

He brooded over it for only a moment longer then he ran toward the town at full charge. He wanted to call out for Izaya but he kept his mouth shut. If this was Silent Hill then there were those monsters waiting somewhere. Calling out would draw their attention to him, and Izaya if he found him.

As he entered the town, he was aware that there wasn't a soul anywhere. No monsters, humans, not even animals. No birds in the sky or stray cats in the alleys. Not even rats or crickets.

“Hello?” He knocked on a shop door.

When there was no reply, he wiped the ashes off the window and pressed his face close to the glass.

But by the slight pressure, the door creaked open. Shizuo backed away slightly, worried something would jump out at him. When nothing happened, he pushed the door open all the way, the wooden frame creaking with a foreboding sense of dread.

“Um, hello?” He cautiously stepped inside, looking around.

The store was a barber's shop, from what Shizuo could tell. Spinning metal chairs sat in a straight line in front of sinks and mirrors. Products were strewn on the floor and the lights were obviously broken.

And as far as he could tell, there was no one there.

He turned to leave.

But something knocking drew his attention back.

“Hello?” he whispered, his body tensing as the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

**_'I don't like this.'_ **

Something knocked again. Then again. And again.

He could pinpoint it to the back closet.

“Is...someone there?”

That was a stupid question. Of course there was someone here.

But the question was:

Is whatever it is a thing or a person?

Shizuo swallowed hard as he tentively walked over to the closet.

His hand gripped the door knob but he didn't turn it. He clenched his fist tightly, ready to hit whatever came out.

**_'Okay. One...'_ **

He locked his feet to the ground.

**_'Two...'_ **

He drew his fist back.

**_'Three!'_ **

He opeend the door.

And was blinded by a swarm of buzzing flies.

He dropped to the ground, crossing his arms over his face as the insects buzzed about him, swarming out towards the door.

It was pitch black but the closet conviently distributed a flashlight from its depth. It rolled slowly and stopped against Shizuo's feet.

He picked it up and clicked the button. The light flickered on and off so Shizuo smacked the back and gave it a shake till it's beam was bright as ever.

He put his wrist into the sling on the end before pointing it to the door.

His eyes widened and bile rose in his throat.

There were three dead people in the closet. At least Shizuo thought there were three. He could see three pairs of arms but there were no legs and the torso seemed to be...fused together. As if melted...

Shizuo was sure he was going to puke. There was no rotting smell but the sight alone made him feel queesy. He turned and ran out the door, falling to his knees on the sidewalk. He wretched but nothing came up so he just coughed.

 ** _'Oh god. Izaya, please tell me thats not you.'_** he thought in horror. **_'Don't tell me you got iced already.'_**

But even as he thought, he knew that wasn't the case. Izaya was alive. Somewhere. And he was going to find him.

Shizuo stood and continued on with his search.

But he halted, not even three houses down. There was something written in the ashes on a wide shop window.

It was a message!

A message from Izaya!

_If you got the phone I left call me._

“I knew he was alive!” Shizuo called in glee as he dug his hand in his pocket for the phone. He pulled it out and opened it.

 ** _'Wait a minute.'_** Shizuo's eyes widened as he looked back up at the message.

_If you see this and don't have the phone, go back to the raft..._

**_'He left before me. Why didn't he call the phone? If he had slept-walk then he wouldn't know he left a phone. Why didn't he wait for me? How the fuck am I supposed to protect you if you run off, you shitty flea!'_ **

“Dammit, Izaya...” He reached up to loosen his bowtie in irritance.

Then his eyes widened.

**_'What happened to my bow tie?'_ **

But soon that was the last thing on his mind as a loud storm-warning siren rang off, echoing around the alleyways.


	9. Chapter 7: So The Terrors Of My Dreams Are True

 

 Darkness.

The sky started to turn pitch black. The streets were beginning to fall away into mineshafts. The paint on the walls peeled away, shriveling inward like burnt paper before falling to the ground with a plop as if it had turned into goopy flesh. The air became significantly warmer and humid.

_**'What's...happening?'**_ Shizuo thought.

_**'The Darkness...So the terrors of my dreams are true.'**_ Izaya thought.

_**'I-I have to find Izaya!'** _

_**'Which means that little girl is in danger!'** _

The two adults ran.

* * *

_**'Where is he? Where is he? Izaya!'**_ Shizuo ran through the burning streets, looking for the raven who surely needed his protection.  ** _'He never lives through any of his dreams! He'll die and this time he won't wake up!'_**

"Izaya!"

Shizuo stopped at the mouth of an alleyway, looking around wildly. He saw a door open to what looked like a gym, the sight of a fur-trimmed coat barely making it in his vision before the doors closed.

"Izaya..."

Shizuo ran over quickly, panting ever so slightly.

He slammed the doors open. "Izaya!"

He saw no one, it was pitch black. Quickly, he turned on the flashlight and shined it every which way. It definitely looked like a gym but it looked like it was under renovations. Strips of plastic created a curtain to the floor but he definitely saw someone run past the plastic.

"Hey!" Shizuo gave chase. "Izaya!"

Shizuo pushed past the strips and froze.

The thing in front of him wasn't Izaya. It was grotesque and bulgy, it's body covered in weeping soars. It was hunched over backwards, its hands dragging against the ground with its head between its shoulder blades although its neck twisted so its head was right side up and staring at Shizuo with hollow eyes.

Shizuo backed away, eyes widening with terror.

Only to have something leap on his back. He screamed and struggled with the creature before grabbing the thing by its arms and throwing it to the ground.

The creature had a humanoid body but it looked completely starved and its arms were longer than they should be with skin that looked like it was nearly burnt. And its face lacked everything but a mouth with jagged teeth.

Shizuo went to run for the entrance only for three more to leap out of the plastic wall.

He screamed and turned. The bent-backwards monster groaned at him and took a heavy step toward him. Shizuo quickly looked around and saw an exit on the other side of the gym floor.

The long-limbed creatures leaped at him.

He ran towards the doors.

The bent-back monster reached for Shizuo with its spindly arm but the blond was more than a couple feet away so he payed attention only to the exit.

He pushed hard against the door but it wouldn't budge.

_**'Don't pull this shit now! This is reality so I can break you down!'** _

Shizuo pulled back and slammed his fist hard into the metal. It caved in around his hand but it only creaked open a crack.

With a call of rage and panic he brought his foot up and slammed the door open.

And an array of disembodied parts fell out.

Shizuo called out as he was buried by various pieces of human bodies. Blood soaked his clothes instantly. Hands and arms and legs and torso's tumbled onto him. His eyes went wide with horror.

Then he screamed. And began to kick and push and move the parts off of him while clawing and pulling at the ground to get out from under them.

He finally broke free and clawed himself out of the pile.

But he wasn't given time to rest as the long-limbed monsters were soon to be on him.

He leaped to his feet and ran. He looked around for another exit and spotted one by the broken bleachers. He was terrified about what could be on the other side but he had to get out! He had to get out of there!

He slammed against the door shoulders first...

And it gave without effort.

Shizuo wasn't expecting that, thus, he fell to the ground. His head slammed against the concrete, causing his vision to blur.

But he couldn't stop moving. He could hear those things coming for him. He had to move!

He forced himself to his feet, stumbling forward as his ears rang.

Where was he?

More plastic curtains. Darkness.

He dazily reached for the flashlight handle that swung spasmodically against his wrist. He fumbled to grip it but once in his hand, he looked over his shoulder as he stumbled forward.

His foot met empty air.

He screamed in surprise as he fell forward, his scream soon cut off as he fell into water.

No, not water. This was too irony to be water.

_**'No!'** _

Shizuo scrambled to the surface, praying that in his dazed state he was actually heading up instead of down. He gasped loudly, coughing up as much of the liquid as he could. Then he let his eyes focus and he was horrified to see his suspicion was right.

He had fallen into a pool.

That was filled with thick, red blood.

And he wasn't alone.

There were heads floating about, as well.

What's worse, they blinked at him, all turning towards the blond to stare at him.

He screamed and scrambled away. He looked around wildly, no longer under the effects of his head bang, and spotted the ladder behind him.

He turned and trudged through the blood, the crimson liquid up to his neck.

His hand reached for the rung. But never touched it as one of the long-limbed creatures attached itself to his back and pulled him under.

His throat ached in pain, his lungs screaming for air since he didn't hold his breath. He pulled at the creature, scratching at its arms to get it to release.

Feeling like he was going to faint, he became desperate. He closed his eyes tight shut and bent the arms as far backwards as they would go.

Until they snapped.

Even under the thick layer of blood, he could hear the limb break and it sent a chill of disgust and guilt down his spine.

But the creature released and Shizuo scrambled up for air.

He gasped again as he sucked in air greedily.

But soon he was holding his breath again as two creatures leaped on him, one on his back and the other slamming into his waist, knocking him off his feet and back underwater.

_**'Let me go!'**_ He thrashed wildly, not caring anymore that he may hurt or kill these creatures. They were trying to kill him! Why should he care?!

But even as he told himself that, he was aware he was holding back. Not letting his full strength out so they didn't die from his blows. After so many years of restraining his strength to maim not kill, it was hard to tell himself otherwise to go for the death blow.

His lungs were screaming yet again. His limbs swung out wildly, without aim or precision. So the most he did was push them off, only to have the monsters back on him. His feet no longer touched the bottom of the pool. The creatures had pulled him out to the deep end, where not even Shizuo could touch and be above the surface.

Now he was in trouble. He couldn't hold his breath any longer. He had to get to the surface.

He kicked and punched and squirmed as violently as he could.

Then something strange happened.

The monsters holding him seemed to be...dissolving. Disintegrating.

Turning to ash under the blood.

And the blood seemed to be draining from the pool.

One kick off the pool floor and his head broke the surface.

His vision blurred as oxygen reached his lungs. Lightheadedness encased him. He couldn't stop himself from falling backwards as black encased his vision.

* * *

Izaya ran down the staircase Alessa disappeared down, the hall pitch black. Izaya kept his hand to the wall, unable to see anything.

"Alessa!" He called, where there was no reply.

He reached into his pocket and grabbed his smart phone. Flicking the screen across, he turned on the flashlight and shined it in front of him.

He padded down the staircase, following the path since there was only one way. He didn't like this. With the Darkness here, anything could jump out at him both in front and behind him. He could get trapped with no way out.

_**'Alessa...'** _

He turned a corner and came to a clearing. Well, it wasn't much of a clearing. There were fences laced everywhere, creating what looked like a maze.

And he saw Alessa on the other side, staring at him.

As soon as their eyes met, she ran.

" _Hey, wait_!" Izaya said, running over to the fence. He pushed and found an opening in the mesh. Giving it another shove, he managed to squirm through the gap and gave chase.

The two ran through the mazes, Alessa getting through the tiniest of gaps. She nearly lost Izaya as he always attempted to get through those gaps, as well. But she'd always turn and wait for him, looking over her shoulder. Izaya noticed that. He also noticed that his pants were getting wet from crawling on the ground and the slight drizzle that fell from the sky. He was aware that his hands were getting sticky for the same reason. He could only hope it was rain.

But he was also aware that he had to protect Alessa, no matter what.

No creatures had come out yet but it was only a matter of time before...

"Alessa!  _Wait_!"

Alessa slunk through another gap.

But Izaya didn't follow.

Because there was something on the ground he definitely didn't want to crawl through.

It looked to be innards, a pool of intestines and bile.

He flashed his light up and nearly screamed.

A man was bound to the fence with what looked like barbed wire, looking as if crucified. He wore a heavy mining suit, the torso torn open. His flesh was torn in the same manner.

What's worse, Izaya could see the man's eyes flashing this way and that, see his lungs pumping sporadically as it seemed to be the only organ besides his heart still in his body.

He was still alive.

He was gutted alive.

Izaya backed away, horrified. Not even in his dreams had he seen this. In his dreams, he was alone. No one was in this hell but him.

He had never seen this!

But his attention was drawn to something else. He heard someone walking up behind him.

He turned to see his nightmares come alive. A child only a little shorter than him with sickly gray skin and long disproportionate claw-fingers stared up at him with orange lights glowing out its hollowed eyes.

Its opened its mouth, a piercing screech tearing through its throat before its face twisted up to the side of its skull, its mouth stretching to accomidate the act.

Izaya screamed, nearly dropping his phone. But he managed to shove it in his pocket before he turned to run.

With his turn, he noticed more and more Gray Children were surrounding him. And that he was surrounded by fencing.

Reverting to his character of running from a blond monster, Izaya leaped up the fence and climbed over.

Once safe, he looked around wildly for the girl he came to protect.

"ALESSA!"

He looked left and right, then spotted the little girl huddled on the ground, crying. He ran over and touched her shoulder.

She slowly turned her head to look up at him.

"... _You're_  Alessa Gillespie,  _aren't you?_ "

_**'The girl from my dreams...'** _

She didn't answer. Just stared at him.

Then he heard the screech.

He turned to see three Gray Children on him, one raising its mutant hand up. Those claws came across his chest as quick as a whip but Izaya back-stepped and leaned back enough that they weren't deep, just cut his shirt ever so slightly and a little of the skin underneath.

He fell back due to his momentum. But he flung his foot up and kicked his assailant away. The one collided with another Child. With a whine like an infants, the Child turned on it's fallen friend and began clawing at it.

Alessa watched him fall on his rump with a blank expression. Izaya didn't have time to question why this girl was numb, however. Given a prompt distraction from the fighting Gray Children, Izaya turned, scooped Alessa up, and pushed himself to his feet in a run.

The girl wrapped her arms around Izaya's neck, not making a sound as the raven ran through the maze of fences. He could hear the creatures pursuing him, sounding as if more were coming, more were being created to chase him.

His heart thudded in his chest, his legs aching, his eyes searching for an escape.

And as if fate was being kind to him this time, a house came into view. He ran to it. To which he couldn't miss the fact that the door was shut.

_**'If this is anything like my dream then that door will be...'** _

" _Keep your head down_." Izaya ordered as he put his hand on the back of her head to keep it from shaking.

He charged at the door, turning his body at the last second to slam his shoulder into it.

His body impacted hard into the door, sending pain through the socket joint and causing him to call out. But he had been right.

The door was locked. Well, more like barricaded. There was something heavy in front of it but upon him slamming into it, the thing shifted so the door was ajar.

He backed up and slammed his foot into the door. It gave yet again.

_**'Dammit, come on!'** _

He ran forward and slammed into it again.

The object was knocked out of place and the door swung open.

Izaya tumbled forward, twisting his body so he fell on his back and not on Alessa. He managed to keep his head from slamming against the ground by keeping his head tilted up but the wind was knocked out of him. He huffed, hacking and coughing, but gave himself a short time to recover. They were coming, he didn't have time to waste. He rolled over and released Alessa.

" _Stay *_ **cough***   _stay back_."

He stood and slammed the door shut. Or went to but two pair of clawed hands were between the door and the wall, forcing it open. He braced himself against the wooden layer, pushing as hard as he could.

" _Look for a knife, a wrench, anything_!" He yelled.

Alessa stared at him for a moment, then went about doing as he said.

Izaya's shoes began to slip against the concrete floor. He groaned and quickly took a step forward to try and counteract their pushing.

She returned momentarily with a bowling pin.

He took it from her.

_**'It'll have to work!'** _

He turned and slammed the bowling pin against the fingers. There were screeches of pain and protests as those hands retracted.

Finally, the door slammed shut.

He reached over and grabbed a chair, propping it against the door knob. Then he grabbed the table and pushed it in front of the door as well to pin the chair in place.

He looked around for anything else to barricade with but before he could, the door slammed, creaking open by an inch.

"Shit!" He looked around. Then grabbed Alessa. " _Over here_!  _Here_!"

He opened a closet door and sat Alessa inside.

" _Stay here and don't come out no matter what, got it_?"

She nodded.

Izaya shut the door.

And at the same time, the front door opened. He turned to see nearly ten to fifteen Gray Children withering inside. He looked around for a weapon, knowing a bowling pin wouldn't do much against the horde.

_**'Dammit, stupid plane! If only I had my knife.'** _

He spotted a metal chair leg, broken off and rusty, but sharp. Only problem, it was closer to the Gray Children.

He had to risk it, though.

He had to keep Alessa safe.

So he lunged forward, reaching for the bar.

As his hand came around it, three different pairs of hands grabbed him, fastening into his hair and coat.

"Get off! Let go!" He swung the bar wildly, feeling it slash into flesh and feeling blood spray.

Two of the creatures released but one still held on, holding onto his coat tightly. Izaya struggled out of his coat, holding onto the bar tightly through all his efforts.

Once freed, he turned and lashed out again, slicing into another creature, blood splattering on his neck and cheek.

He turned to stand.

And all too suddenly, a hand slammed into his face, backhanding him hard.

His world spun as he fell to the floor, feeling the Gray Children beginning to claw and grab at him. He swung out again, but it was weak and feeble. His vision was beginning to fade to black.

_**'If I...die here I won't wake...up. I have to...survive. Alessa...Shizu-cha...'** _

Izaya's world went black.

But not before he saw ashes fall to the floor.


	10. Chapter 8: We Have To Get Out Of This Place

 

Izaya jolted awake.

"Get off me!" He screamed, leaping up and swinging...

At empty air.

He looked around him to see he was alone. His coat was gone as well but at least those monsters went with it. A stereo was playing an English song he didn't know as the foggy but bright sky shined through the open door.

His head turned to the closet where he left Alessa.

His eyes widened to see the door was wide open and the little girl was gone.

He ran out the door. The maze of chain fences had morphed into rows of wooden picket fences. Izaya could see over them to the path he had come from, and there was no sight of the gutted man either.

He ran through the gaps in the fences where planks were missing back the way he came, running up the steps two at a time until he was back on the main road.

Once there, he looked around at the shop names. He spotted a pawn shop and ran over. He wiped the ash of the window, looking inside the abandoned house. And he spotted what he wanted.

A hunters knife sat dangling in its sheath against the wall. He would prefer a smaller knife but beggards can't be choosers.

He rushed over to the door and jiggled the knob.

Locked.

He growled in annoyance then turned around. Then he brought his arm up. Holding his wrist tight, he slammed his elbow into a crack that had been made on the glass of the door window probably by a previous scavenger. The glass shattered. Izaya grimaced a little as his elbow hurt but he wasn't cut so he just shook his arm out. Then he reached inside and jiggled the door handle, unlocking it and opening it.

He rushed over and grabbed the knife off the wall. He pulled it out, relieved to see it wasn't a mere decoration. But the blade was dull. He looked around and found a sharpening stone inside a glass case. He didn't even bother to see if it was locked. He turned the knife around and slammed down with the butt of the blade. The glass shattered and he precariously grabbed the sharpening stone.

From there, he sat sharpening his blade for a good ten to twenty minutes.

Then he atttached the sheath to his belt and left the stone behind.

_**'Where could Alessa have gone?'**_ He looked around.  ** _'And Shizu-chan. Did Shizu-chan survive the Darkness? Did he...No, no, no. This is Shizu-chan. Something like this couldn't...'_**

Izaya clenched his teeth.

_**'He doesn't like fighting. He doesn't have the stomach to kill. Well, not like I do either. But in this place, it's kill or be killed. If either of us are to survive, we'll have to fight to kill...'** _

His stomach flopped at the thought.

But he swallowed it down and looked around.

What were his bare essentials?

Food. Water. Protection. Clothes.

He had protection.

He had clothes—although he needed to either find his jacket or grab a new one (it wasn't cold but it rained during the darkness).

At the thought of water and food, his throat went dry and his stomach growled.

Alright, first on his agenda—a cafe.

He looked around for another ten mintes before finding his destination. It was a little cafe, run-down and obviously abandoned like everything else. However, the door wasn't locked so he easily got inside.

A vending machine sat on his left. Wiping the dust off with his hand, he saw that no one had looted it.

That meant he could.

Backing up, he did a quick round-house kick to shatter the glass. Then he went about pulling food out. Candie bars, chips, fruit snacks, and granola bars weren't much, but it was good enough.

_**'Shizu-chan'll probably be hungry too. Maybe I should head back to the raft. He might be there...'** _

It was the only lead he really had. He had no clue where Alessa went and Shizuo was no where to be seen. Although he had a hunch that he should try and find a school because of the uniform Alessa was wearing, he didn't want to go through another Darkness without Shizuo.

So, once he had his fill, he stood with many of food in hands and turned to leave—

But not before spotting a rack with pamphlets on it. He went over to check them out and found them to be maps!

_**'This'll be useful.'**_ Izaya a near smile.

He grabbed two—one for himself and one for Shizuo—and looked around the cafe for writing untensils. He found two pens—one red and one blue—by the register.

Now in good spirits, he was on his way back to the raft.

* * *

Shizuo groaned as he opened his eyes. His head was throbbing and lungs ached. He was aware that he should probably be more alert, aware that he had nearly drowned. But his body hurt everywhere.

_**'Izaya...did you survive?'** _

The thought of the raven in the same situation as him was enough to force him to his feet.

_**'Izaya...'** _

Groaning through the pain, Shizuo headed over to the ladder and climbed up. He was relieved to see there were no creatures aorund but the plastic curtains limited his view.

Now more alert, he clamored up and kept his fists balled together. Taking tnetive steps, he pushed through the plastic curtains and back into the gym. The creatures wer gone, not one of them was in sight...

But the mountain of corpses remained.

Just the sight made bile rise in Shizuo's throat. No longer caring for caution, Shizuo ran thorugh the curtain's and out the door. Once outside, he fell to his knees and vomited, coughing and retching until his stomach was empty.

_**'I can't handle this. I just can't...'** _

Tears rose in Shizuo's eyes but he quickly wiped them away.

_**'I've got to find Izaya. We have to get out of this place. We've got to...'** _

Shizuo reached into his pocket and pulled out the cellphone.

_**'Kasuka...'** _

He didn't know why but he felt like he needed to call Kasuka. He needed to let his little brother know he was alright. He needed to possibly hear his beloved brothers voice, one of the only things that ever calmed him down.

So he dialed in the number he had memorized and pressed the phone to his ear.

It rung four times, making Shizuo's anxiety grow. Then it finally sent him to voicemail.

"Hey, Kasuka, it's Shizuo. I left my phone at home so Izaya gave me one of his. I-I'm in Silent Hill; we made it but I lost Izaya. I'll find him though. And we'll be home. I...I don't know when though."

Shizuo began to choke as tears rose in his throat.

"I'm not okay. This place...it's so-so, I don't even know. It's just bad. And I-I-heh, heh heh. I'm scared, Kasuka." A crooked smile crossed Shizuo's lips. "I'm actually really scared. But I swear, I'll come home. I promise."

Shizuo ended the call.

He started to laugh as he wiped his eyes. Then he composesd himself and opened the phone back up. Going to the contacts, he smiled when he saw there was only one.

_:Izaya #4:_

He clicked send.

As he pressed it to his ear, he thought he heard something.

Like a Japanese ringtone going off.

That couldn't be a coincident!

A smile plastered to his face, Shizuo followed the sound. It led him to the alley by the gym. Pickets fences line the yards behind the place, leading him through a maze of residential housings.

That call went to voicemail, so he cancelled out and called again. The ringing picked up again and he was back on the hunt.

He ended up recalling the phone four times before he came to a stop. The sign was in English so he couldn't read it but there were bowling pins being struck by a bowling ball by the letters so he figured it was a bowling alley.

The front door was wide open so he dashed inside.

"Izaya!" he called.

Only to be disappointed and horrified.

Izaya's coat lied on the ground, the pocket vibrating from the call. And there was blood on the tinted fur around the left sleeve and hood.

_**'No. no no no. No!'** _

"IZAYA~!" Shizuo called, looking around frantically. "IZAYA, where are you?!"

Shizuo could feel despair rise in his throat. Izaya wouldn't go anywhere without his coat. He wouldn't leave his phones behind.

"Don't tell me you were killed..."

A noise behind him tore him away from his grief. He turned aorund to see a little girl staring at him from the door way.

His eyes widened. "Ales—"

The girl turned and ran.

"Hey, wait!"

Shizuo grabbed Izaya's coat and gave chase.

The girl never lost pace and never slowed. But neither did Shizuo.

"What did you do to Izaya?! Alessa!"

The girl turned the corner.

But when Shizuo turned the corner, Alessa was gone.

And in her place was a snarling dog. But it wasn't a normal dog. It had huge jaws and a small body resembling a greyhound. However, it lacked fur and skin, it's red muscles exposed for all to see with only a stump for a tail.

The dog snarled at him, sinking low to the ground in order to pounce. Shizuo's phone began to static and flash in his pocket but the blond didn't notice nor care.

"I don't have time for you." Shizuo snarled and balled his fist. "Get out of my way!"

The dog took his throat as an invitation and leaped for Shizuo's throat.

* * *

Izaya sighed as he lied down in the orange raft, the food placed in the far corner so he didn't touch anymore of it. He stared up at the ashes falling before he sat up to be more alert.

_**'I wish I didn't lose my coat. It had all my phones.'** _

He sighed and leaned against the side of the raft and closed his eyes.

_**'Shizu-chan...'** _

* * *

Shizuo growled as he held his arm. The dog had gotten a good hold in his arm and although it didn't bubble up with black ooze or anything like that, it still stung.

But he'd survive.

And now Shizuo was looking around the town again. He came across the sign Izaya left in the window and stared at it.

_**'I can't smell the flea at all. There's not even a breeze to carry it.'** _

Shizuo scowled.

_**'...Maybe he went back to the raft. He knows he lost his phone so if he's alive, he'll know the only way to get ahold of me is through these...'** _

He turned and stared at the road he had come from.

_**'Maybe it's just wishful thinking...but it wouldn't hurt to look...'** _

With that in mind, Shizuo followed the road out of town to the highway.

Not long after, the orange came into sight...

And a raven-haired man was seen sitting in it.

Shizuo's heart lept with joy. "IZAYA!"

He ran to the flea as Izaya jolted and looked at him.

...But then Shizuo's eyes widened in shock.

Izaya was vanishing. And by the time Shizuo got to the raft, he was gone.

"No. No, no, no. Izaya, Izaya, no. Don't..." Shizuo fell to his knees in defeat. "Am I seeing things? He was just a mirage?"

Shizuo clenched his teeth.

"Or was that a ghost? Did Izaya really die and now he's stuck here forever?"

Tears fell from Shizuo's eyes.

"IZAYA~!"

* * *

Izaya jolted when he heard the familiar voice scream his name.

"Shizu-chan?"

Izaya stared out through the fog.

And spotted blond locks poking through the haze.

A happy smile spread across Izaya's face.

"Shizu-chan!"

The raven leaped to his feet and dashed toward the blond locks. But his movements caused him to lose sight of them so instead he ran in the direction he had last saw it.

He never stopped running until a human figure came into view, making his heart jump with relief.

"Shizu-chan!"

The fog cleared up just enough to see the person clearly.

And Izaya came to a screeching halt.

It wasn't Shizuo.

But the armless man from his nightmare. The one with no face and a gaping hole in his chest. Black ooze pooled out, plipping to the ground and melting whatever it touched.

Izaya backed away.

_**'Shizu-chan...'** _

The creature stumbled towards him.

So Izaya turned and ran.

* * *

Shizuo would never admit to anyone that he cried over Izaya nor admit he huddled into Izaya's coat. He would never admit that he had broken down because he thought Izaya died.

But right now, on an abandoned road where no one but monsters could see him, he would cry. And cry and cry.

_**'This place is so fucked! I want to go home. Kasuka...'** _

It took Shizuo another ten minutes to finally calm himself down.

From there, Shizuo finally looked up into the raft. His eyes widened when he saw a small pile of food, a couple of water bottles, and pieces of papers.

He climbed into the raft and, completely ignoring the food, grabbed the papers.

They were Izaya's drawings. Shizuo's eyes widened.

_**'How'd these get...Izaya didn't bring these with...'** _

The blond shuffled through them. There was the drawing of the Red Pyramid thing, the armless man creature, a strange gray humanoid that's face twisted to the side of it's skull with a gaping, stretched mouth. The next page made him pause. It was the picture of Alessa. The one that the psychic said was drawn by Alessa using Izaya's body.

_**'This is not a coincidence. These are here for a reason...'** _

Shizuo saw something against the raft as he shuffled the papers. He lifted them up to look down in the raft. There, having been hidden under all the papers, was a pamphlet. He put the papers to the side and picked it up. Unfolding it, he saw the pamphlet was actually a map. And on the map, someone had circled the school and wrote 'Shizu-chan' by it in red pen.

His eyes widened. And his heart filled with hope.

"Izaya..."

Then his expression filled with conviction.

"He's alive. Izaya's alive. And I'm going to find him."

With that said, Shizuo put on Izaya's coat, pocketed the map, and ran back to town.

* * *

Izaya heard the Armless Man screech and splatter its' goop behind him. The raven was luckily out of reach so only the concrete started to burn.

He knew this thing wasn't very fast so he could outrun and out-manuveur it without any issues. But those things typically ran in a ram-shackle form of pack. There was usually always more than one.

So Izaya ran the opposite way from town with a pray that there would be no others. He soon lost the creatures in the fog.

Once there, he slowed to a walk.

_**'I need to get back to town. This'll lead me to Brahms, if I remember correctly...'** _

Izaya's thought died off when he noticed that the ground in front of him disappeared into a crumbling canyon.

He cursed before turning back around.

_**'So no matter what, I have to go this way.'** _

He gulped, fear rising in his stomach. The hell of his dreams replayed behind his vision. Being blinded by burning acid from the Armless Man would never fade from his memory.

And right now, just the thought of getting close to it was terrifying.

_**'I've got to do it though. What if the Darkness comes while I'm here? I've gotta get back to town. I have to find Shizuo and Alessa before then.'** _

He glowered as he turned around.

_**'I know I heard Shizu-chan. He was there. He's alive and I'll find him.'** _

With that determination in place, Izaya ran back the way he came.

The first Armless Man was easy to dodge. It didn't even realize it had been duked until Izaya was already long gone. But like Izaya had thought, there was more than one.

_**'Bastards. I'm not going to let you stop me. I**_ will  ** _find Shizuo. I_** will  _ **find Alessa.'**_

"And you bastards aren't going to stop me!"

Filling with something that wasn't quite bravado but wasn't quite insanity, Izaya ran toward the monster.

With the grace of a cat, Izaya dodged a pile of goop while weaving around his first assailant. It screeched in rage before trying to turn around, ultimately colliding into his partner all according to Izaya's plan.

As the two toppled over each other, Izaya ran with a smirk.

Not long, he returned to the raft, so far managing to not run into any other Armless Men.

He had no intention to stop at the orange thing, but something in it caused him to pause.

The things he had left for Shizuo were still there except for the pamphlet. And in its place was a piece of paper. He picked it up before inspecting it.

It was a...dark picture. Drawn in crayon, it was a scrawling of a black building, the word school scrawled across the top in red crayon, with a crude image of a blond-haired person with black-and-white clothes and a girl with scribbled long black hair.

_**'Is that...Alessa?'** _

He flipped the picture over, hoping to find a name but was disappointed.

_**'Who left this?'** _

A glob of black goop splattering onto the raft tore Izaya away from his thought process. Shizuo's food and the orange of the raft began to melt, making Izaya jump away. Two more Armless Men were moving towards him, withering and screeching with every step.

Izaya turned and ran.

_**'School it is then.'** _

 


	11. Chapter 9: Without a Doubt I Am Terrified

 

Shizuo was lost almost as soon as he ran into town. Which caused him to groan in annoyance. He had never been good with maps and it didn't help that he couldn't see any street signs till he was standing right next to one.

When he was standing by the hospital and saw the hospital was on the other side of town from the school, he punched the wall.

"Dammit." he growled, rubbing his hair out of his eyes.

* * *

Izaya stared up at the school, the black and empty building looming over him with an intense sense of foreboding. He  _definitely_ didn't want to get stuck here when the darkness comes.

In uncertainty, he looked back down at the picture, knowing he hadn't interpretted it wrong.

He groaned. "Dammit," he muttered.

* * *

Heiwajima Kasuka stared at his phone in shock. A voicemail sat open on his phone, asking him if he'd like to repeat the message.

He had gotten a message from Shizuo. It was garbled and a little hard to make out, but it was definitely Shizuo. But that was impossible.

Shizuo had died in a plane crash two weeks ago. Kasuka had found out about his brothers' death by the news three days before the authorities called him and his family. There was a long report on television about how the flight had crashed a mere twenty miles from its destination. The authorities of America were still recovering the bodies and wreckage from the field it had crashed into at that time but they weren't able to find a reason as to why the plane crashed as of yet. They then did a short display of all the people who died on the flight—Heiwajima Shizuo and Orihara Izaya being on that list.

His family was still in mourning. His mother in particular said she didn't want to have a funeral without a body while his father was saying they should have a funeral so they can accept his death and move on. Kasuka didn't know where to stand on the decision. He didn't want his brother to be dead but he knew it wasn't healthy to hold onto the impossible.

But now, Kasuka was staring at his phone, debating whether he should believe that this message was really from his brother.

There was no way Shizuo could be alive. It was a plane crash. There were no survivors on the report, why would Shizuo be the only one who made it?

And yet...

Kasuka played the message again.

" _Hey, Kas...It...Shizuo...left my phone...so...gave me one of his. I...in Silent Hill...made it but...lost Iza...find him—_ _ **have to find him**_ _—we'll be home...Don't know—_ _ **when**_ _—though. I'm not okay. This place...don't—know. Just bad. I'm scared, Kasuka...Really scared...I'll come home...promise..."_

" _End of message. For further options, press—"_

Kasuka replayed the message.

When it finished, he replayed it again.

And again.

And again.

"Yuuhei-san..." Ruri walked into the bedroom, holding two cups of tea.

"Thank you." He took the cup and replayed the message again.

Ruri sat down next to the actor and listened to the message as well.

"...It sounds like him." Ruri said once the voicemail finished again.

"It does."

Kasuka played it again.

"I'm not sure, though."

"What do you want to do then?"

"...I think I want to get a second opinion."

"You're parents, then?"

"No. I don't want to give them false hope." Kasuka stood, saving the message, and pocketing the phone. "If this is fake, I don't want to make them cry again."

Ruri stood as well. "Then who?"

"...Kishitani Shinra and the Black Rider were good friends with my brother."

The monotone actor grabbed his coat and car keys before turning to Ruri, who also grabbed her coat.

"Are you okay with going? Your stalker—"

"I'll be alright. This is important to you so I wish to be there for you."

"...Thank you very much."

Ruri smiled at him. Then they both turned and headed to the door.

* * *

Izaya entered the school, the double doors slamming loudly behind him, which caused him to turn around. In the stain glass window above the door was the strange cross from the picture. Izaya's eyes narrowed at it, making him curious as to what it really stood for.

But he decided not to dwell on that for too long. He turned and headed up the steps, greeted with a hallway of many doors on either side. Izaya turned to the first door on his right, but couldn't open it. However, seeing that their was a wide window right next to it, he knew it had to be the sign-in office—which meant it was important for clues.

So he turned and went into the room across from it in hopes of finding a key.

He entered a nurse's office. Beds with dust-stained sheets lied around the room. Some were knocked over on their side, others completely flipping over.

Izaya went straight to the nurse's desk, pulling open the drawers and shuffling papers around. The pages he found were near useless, nothing more than reports on injuried kids and letters for more supplies. He found batteries, tweezers, and a pair of long scissors but nothing else.

He closed the drawers and went to the metal cabinet. Lots of medical supplies sat in it: rubbing alcohol, peroxide, three different sizes of bandages, bandaid boxes, Q-tips, and a bundle of CPR mask cases. He pushed some of the supplies to the side, still looking for a damn key but was unsuccessful.

He then went over to the first aid cabinet, grabbing each first aid kit and opening them, tearing them all apart.

He was unsuccessful again. He groaned and began putting the kits back together.

Then thought back to the CPR mask cases.

_**'...Why would anyone hide keys in one of those? I'm over-thinking it.'** _

And yet, he couldn't bring himself to overlook it.

So, once he put the first aid kits back, he turned to the metal cabinet and grabbed all the mask cases. There were eight in total that he set on the floor. He sat down as well and went about opening them.

After opening four, he groaned in annoyance at finding nothing.

_**'This is stupid...'** _

Fifth.

Nothing.

Sixth.

Nothing.

Seventh.

"...Holy shit, no way."

Izaya pulled the mask out and saw a silver key sitting on the bottom.

"No fricken way."

Izaya stood, leaving the CPR masks on the ground and rushed to the sign-in office.

He used the key on the door.

It opened.

"No way!"

_**'Holy shit!'** _

A little ecstatic, Izaya pushed the door open and looked around. He immediately went to the desk on his left that sat in front of the window and went through the drawers. In the longest drawer, he found a thick key ring with nearly twenty different keys. In one of the lower drawers, he found a flashlight. He turned it on, the light flickering before letting out a strong beam. Izaya put his hand through the wrist sling on the end, turned it off, and went back on the search.

On the wall, adjacent to the desk were mail boxes for teachers, all with little doors to keep people out. Izaya went over to one and used a key on it.

Wrong one.

He tried again.

Another wrong one.

He tried again.

Wrong yet again.

He groaned in annoyance.

Another try.

Wrong.

Another.

Wrong.

Another.

Wrong.

Another.

***Click***

_**'Finally.'** _

Izaya opened the mail box. There was nothing in it. He quickly did a count on the rows and columns, coming up with ten by eight, meaning 80 mail boxes in total. He groaned. But knowing from the CPR masks, he shouldn't overlook this.

So he went through each mail box going by columns so as not to lose track. Lucky for him, the key he had seemed to be the skeleton key for all the mail boxes so he didn't have to fumble with that.

He didn't find anything until he reached box 42, which was addressed to a female teacher. Inside the box, he found a folded up piece of paper and upon opening it, he saw it was another childs drawing. This time it showed the same dark-haired girl standing in the middle of a circle of other girls. All the girsl except for the one in the center had on white clothes.

Izaya studied the picture, looking for a clue as to where it was at other than the teacher's name. But he found nothing. So he pocketed the picture and continued looking.

In the 79th box, he found another piece of paper. It was a hand-written letter and only two sentences long, addressed to a man named Colin asking him to go clean up the girls bathroom on the second floor of Building B since one of the toilets was broken.

_**'The janitor, huh?'** _

Izaya put the paper back and turned the flashlight on. He shined it on the wall, hoping to find a map of the school and, luck have it, there was. But it was behind a sheet of plexi-glass. Instead of breaking the glass, he decided to look for a screwdriver.

After wasting twenty minutes looking for one, and coming up empty, he decided to put his photographic memory to the test and sat memorizing the map for the next ten minutes.

_**'This is a big school.'** _

He found the classroom with the teacher's name and the girls bathroom—which were both in Building B. With a goal set, Izaya turned and walked out of the room.

* * *

Shizuo was  _so~_

Absolutely~

And completely~

Lost.

He was really, really,  _really_ lost.

Somehow he managed to get to a carnival ground, which bordered a lake with no boat and no bridges to cross the outerior—however he had crossed a bridge to get there. When he checked the map, he saw he was even farther away from the school than he was when he was at the hopsital. He let out a  _long~_  and  _loud_ groan of irritation, before turning around and headed back across the bridge.

As he reached the middle of the bridge, he started to see a hunched over black figure slowly making its way towards him. He automatically stiffened, clenched his fists and getting ready to fight. He noted his phone didn't go off, didn't start staticing and spasming in his pocket, but that didn't mean he wasn't in danger since it seemed to not react to Alessa.

" _...And in the fire they shall be consumed. They are liars, they are sinners, they are..._ "

Shizuo backed away when the thing looked up at him. He was half surprised to see it was a woman. She looked to be in her 40's or so, ragged and pale as snow with gray hair that draped to her ribs and hid most of her face. She wore black robes that were torn and tattered but hid absolutely every part of her body except for her hands and face. He could see her feet peeking out from the black whenever she took a step, showing she was barefoot—which caused her feet to turn black from dirt and soot.

" _...You are not one of them._ " She stated matter-of-factly, her voice low and breathy.

"U-um, he-hello...?"

" _You are definitely not one of them. You are not anyone from this place. A lost child stumbling into a basilisk's den._ "

"Are you...human?"

" _If you're looking for a way out, there is no way. No one leaves Silent Hill without permission, and she gives permission to no one._ "

"I didn't think there were people here. I thought it was abandoned. Are there others? Do you know where they are?"

" _Speaking a foreign tongue will get you no where, child. The liars only speak the launguage of their people, but it is best you don't speak to the liars._ "

"Please, I'm looking for my friend." Shizuo approached her hesitantly, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone.

" _They'll decieve you, like they decieved me. They took my child._ "

"Him." Shizuo pulled up a picture of Izaya, a selfie the flea must have taken awhile ago. "Have you seen him? Do you know where he is?"

" _They took my daughter. They did horrible things to her. Terrible things. My child. Alessa._ "

Shizuo's eyes widened. "You saw him with Alessa? Did you see him with Alessa?"

" _My daughter..._ " Her voice cracked.

Shizuo stared at her then pulled out Izaya's drawing, getting into her personal space to show her the phone again.

"Izaya," He tapped the phone. "Looking for," He put his hand to his forehead and looked around to do the motion of search. "Alessa." He unfolded the drawing. "Have you," He pointed to the woman. "Seen either of them?" He pointed to his eyes.

She looked at the picture only for a moment before she was staring intently at the drawing, grazing her hand over it. She then looked up at Shizuo, her green eyes flooded with so much grief so suddenly that it threw Shizuo off.

" _Yes. She's mine._ "

"What?"

" _She's mine._ "

"So you've seen them?"

" _She's mine._ " The woman grabbed the drawing.

"W-wait. Let go of it."

" _She's mine_!" Her voice deepened into a growl as she began pushing Shizuo back. " _She's mine! Mine!_ "

"Ge-get off me!" Shizuo pulled away, hearing the paper tear as he yanked his hands away.

He then turned and ran.

The woman stared after him, holding the tattered paper that had a picture of Alessa's face drawn in the corner.

" _She's...mine..._ "

Shizuo ran and ran without looking back and without stopping. He stuffed his phone and picture in his pocket and continued on his way down the streets. Running, running, running. He had no need to stop. He just had to run.

He finally stopped when he, again, had no idea where he was. He quickly looked around himself, only for his eyes to widen in shock.

He was in front of the elementary school.

How he did that he had no clue, but he did it. He made it to the school.

"I-Izaya." Shizuo quickly pushed through the gates. "I hope you're in here. Please be in here."

Shizuo ran to the front doors.

* * *

Kasuka stared at the Headless Rider, the underground doctor, and the yakuza executives he did not expect to see with an expression that was blank and unreadable.

"Play it again, please." Shinra said.

Kasuka obeyed.

" _Hey, Kas...It...Shizuo...left my phone...so...gave me one of his. I...in Silent Hill...made it but...lost Iza...find him—_ _ **have to find him**_ _—we'll be home...Don't know—_ _ **when**_ _—though. I'm not okay. This place...don't—know. Just bad. I'm scared, Kasuka...Really scared...I'll come home...promise..."_

A long silence followed.

"...So...they're alive?" Shinra asked.

"I am not sure." Kasuka said. "It is from a number I don't know. Although, Nii-san is the only one besides my parents who have my personal phone number, it could still be a fake."

Shinra and Celty pulled out their phones, going to their contacts. Shiki followed their lead once he realized what they were doing, then Akabayashi did the same. They then held them out to Kasuka and Ruri.

"Is anyone of these the number?" Shinra asked.

Ruri took Akabayashi's and Shiki's while Kasuka took Shinra's and Celty's, resting his own on his lap.

"...This one." He pointed to Shinra's, showing it to them. "The third one down."

Shinra smiled slightly. "That means it's Izaya's phone. Izaya must have given one to Shizuo. The message had some credibility."

"Have you tried calling the number back?" Shiki asked.

"I have." Kasuka said. "The call will not go through."

Ruri turned to look at him. "Maybe you should try again, just to be safe."

Kasuka stared at her then did as adviced. He put the phone on speaker as it began to ring. However, the phone only rung twice before it ended. Kasuka redialed, only for the same thing to happen.

Kasuka closed the phone as the others lookked at each other.

"Has Orihara-san attempted to contact any of you?" Kasuka asked.

"No." Shiki said.

"No." Shinra stated.

"We were pretty certain Orihara-san died." Akabayashi said, leaning forward on his cane. "No one else survived the plane crash. Although Shizuo-san is extraordinary, the messsage sounded like it said he lost Izaya and had to look for him. Which stands to reason Izaya survived as well. But Orihara-san is completely normal, so how is it possible?"

"Akabayashi." Shiki said with a warning tone.

"I'm just saying, none of us should get our hopes up. The possibility of either of them surviving—let alone making it to their destination when they were over two hours away from landing—is extremely slim."

"...Unless the demon had something do with it." Shinra said.

The two Yakuza's stared at Shinra in confusion, Ruri cocked a brow, and Kasuka's expression remained blank.

"Demon?" Shiki inquired.

"Like the Saika sword?" Akabayashi added.

"We don't really know." Shinra started. "See, Izaya apparently suffered from nightmares that caused him to sleepwalk."

"We're aware of that." Shiki said.

"In the dreams, there was a little girl—at least, that's what Izaya had told us. And when he gets cut in the dream and the girl touches it, it'll be transferred over to his body in the real world."

The two executives cocked their brows in skepticism.

"We suggested that maybe Izaya had a crazed stalker, but he'd hear nothing of it so we suggested he see a psychic to help figure out his dreams. The psychic was convinced Izaya had a demon named Alessa Gillepsie following him."

"...Orihara-san went to a psychic?" Shiki scoffed. "That sounds uncharacteristic."

"Well, he was kinda at his wits end. He sleptwalk out of his house and made it all the way here so he was a bit shaken up."

"What did the psychic say about Silent Hill?" Kasuka asked.

"Nothing. Izaya never mentioned it either. Nor Shizuo-kun."

"I'd like to speak to this psychic, then." Shiki said.

"...That'll be a little hard to do. He kinda died when he visited Izaya."

"Excuse me?"

"He tried to do a spirit-demon summoning thing. Celty and I don't really know how it happened but the psychic had swallowed barbed wire somehow prior to his arrival and died in the middle of it."

"...How does someone swallow barbed wire and continue on like it is nothing?" Ruri inquired.

"You got me." Shinra shrugged.

A short silence incased the room.

Then Kasuka spoke. "Black Bike-san."

Celty jolted, feeling a little flustered that Hanajima Yuuhei was addressing to her, then pulled out her PDA and typed a message.

_:Yes?:_

"You and my brother were very close friends so I wish to ask a selfish request."

Kasuka stared at the headless woman with his dead eyes, his expression remaining blank and his voice monotone. However, he gave a telltale sign of his conviction, by clenching his fists against his lap.

"I want to go to Silent Hill. If there's even a minute chance my brother is alive, I want to find him. But, I'm scared to go alone. Nii-san was never good with horror movies, he was never able to sit through one fully and never enjoyed haunted houses either, but those were the only times he ever admitted he was scared. If the message is really from him and he had really admitted to being scared and admitted that he's not okay, then I can say without a doubt I am terrified. I want to find him and bring him home, but I'm going to need help. So, please," Kasuka bowed forward ever so slightly. "Will you come with me?"

Celty fumbled with her phone, becoming even more flustered that Hanajima Yuuhei was  _bowing_ to her.

 _:Th-there's no need to bow!:_ She quickly typed, Kasuka sitting up straight to read it.  _:Of course I'll come!:_

Kasuka nodded. "Thank you very much. I am in your debt." Kasuka bowed again, making Celty flustered all over again.

"We'll assist as well." Shiki said, catching their attention. "We know that this 'Silent Hill' is in the America's and I don't believe Black Bike-san can get on a plane."

Akabayashi grinned ever so slightly as he stared up at Shiki.

"The Awakusu-Kai company has a private jet at our disposal." Shiki continued, leaning back to rest on the couch comfortably but officially businesslike. "We'll handle the arrangements."

"Eh? Why's Shiki-no-Dono taking an interest?" Shinra asked.

"If Heiwajima Shizuo is alive then it stands to reason Orihara Izaya is alive too. It would be in the Awakusu-Kai's best interest if he returns to Japan."

"...Thank you, Shiki-no-Dono." Kasuka said. "Your help would be a great addition."

"Think nothing of it." Shiki stood, followed by Akabayashi. "Our aid is purely selfish."

The executives gave a curt bow to the four.

"We shall be taking our leave now. Black Bike-san, we'll let you know when everything is set."

Celty typed a message that Kasuka didn't catch, then Shinra told them good-bye while handing them a small paper bag.

Once the Yakuza's were gone, Ruri spoke up.

"Yuuhei-san, I wish to go with you."

"I think it'd be safer if you stayed here."

"I can help with the search. I won't get in the way."

"That's not why I don't want you to come..."

Kasuka trailed off. If he left Ruri behind, he'd be leaving her to deal with the stalker and Yodojiri Jinnai by herself. But on the other hand, he'd be taking her to a potentially dangerous place that even his older brother couldn't handle. After sitting there, contemplating his odds, he finally came to a decision.

"Okay, Hijibe-kun. But we must be careful."

"Of course."

"Celty, Celty!" Shinra called as he wrapped his arms around her. "Let me come too! If we find Shizuo and Izaya brutally disfigured then I can take some blood sam-plah ahm Shelty tat hursh."

Celty only pulled his cheek harder as she used her shadow to type furiously.  _:That's the worse thing to say!:_

"I'm shorry." Celty let him go only so he could talk. "What I mean is my medical skills might come in handy. What's more, I can act as your alibi if anyone starts questioning your humanity."

Celty would not forgive Shinra easily for that first comment, however, he did have a point.

_:Fine. But nothing funny, got it? If we find them, nothing shady better happen with Shizuo's blood or any other part of his cells.:_

"I promise, I promise."

Celty sighed before turning back to Kasuka.  _:Then we are all set.:_

"I believe so. Let's exchange numbers so we can stay in touch."

Celty obliged, giving Kasuka her number then texting her phone to give Celty his. Once that was said and done, the two couples went their separate ways to go prepare for a trip to America.

 


	12. Chapter 10: Thanks For the Save

The very night Shiki agreed to help them, the four people—along with Celty's bike—were on a plane heading to Silent Hill. As they rode the plane in silence—well, mostly silence except for Shinra's excessive chatter to Celty—Ruri and Kasuka got on an ipad that was in the plane and went about researching Silent Hill.

Both were slightly disturbed about the information that was found on the place. Coal mines that burned deep underground, a fire that raged throughout the town, and uncomfirmed counts of people dead due to many of the bodies having gone missing.

Once they found everything they could on the place, they attempted to look up files of Alessa Gillepsie but turned up with nothing—not even as a residence of Silent Hill and definitely not one of the missing bodies. They both found that extremely odd and used different spellings of the name to try for different results. But again, they turned up with nothing.

“There has to be something on her.” Kasuka muttered.

“Perhaps we can find paper records in the town.” Ruri said. “It seems that most of the people evacuated to Brahms, so maybe they took their documents with them.”

“...This situation feels very wrong.”

“Eh?”

“This whole ordeal. Orihara-san's dreams, the plane crash, the phone call. There's something wrong about this whole thing.”

Ruri didn't answer. She didn't know what to say to comfort him or help his thought process. So, instead she reached out and gripped his hand to give a physical support.

Kasuka stared at the hand, then squeezed back to show his gratitude.

* * *

 

Izaya looked up at the blurry sky, standing in the center of a court yard. He would have assumed it was the playground for the kids but it was bare of any equipments for playing. He found that odd but if this school was a private industry, it would make sense why it would be more strict. However, from what he saw on the map before, this was the only school in the entire town—meaning it was a public school and should have public school standards of a play facility outside.

The raven noted the color of the sky was the same—a muggy gray—even though he was certain he had been inside for a good thirty minutes looking for the keys and clues. He was hoping he could tell when the Darkness was coming but he really had no way of figuring that out. So he sighed and continued across the courtyard to the double doors on the other side.

* * *

 

Shizuo pushed through the school doors.

“IZAYA!”

His voice echoed down the halls, followed closely by the door slamming behind him.

There was no reply back.

Shizuo glowered at the school hall.

_**'He has to be here.'** _

“Izaya! Answer me if you can! Izaya!”

There was still no reply.

Shizuo headed down the hall.

He turned to the first open door—which was a nurse's office. There was no one in there, however there were CPR mask cases scattered on the floor by it, but all the rest were untouched so to speak. The cabinet was opened—which was where the masks came from—but there was nothing of importance in it.

So he went across the hall to the sign-in office. There was, again, nothing of importance in the desk. The paper's he found were useless and not important. He noticed that the mail boxes on the far wall were all open so he checked those next. He found a note in a box towards the bottom right.

Shizuo turned and turned on his flashlight to look for a map in the poorly lit room. He found it on the wall, under a protective barrier of plexiglass. He knew he wouldn't be able to memorize it but taking it would be vandalisizing, wouldn't it? He wasn't sure about that answer. Then again, the place was abandoned so there was no one to catch or to dictate it was vandalism.

The blond waged with his conscious for a moment longer before he decided to take the map. Pulling the plexiglass out of the wall was easy for him and he quickly grabbed the map before it could flutter to the ground.

_**'Where did you go, Izaya? You have to be in here.'** _

Shizuo had no clue where the raven could have gone. So he decided that he would search the building he was in, then look in the other building if he couldn't find him.

_**'Please be here.'** _

* * *

 

Izaya groaned when he pulled on the doors of the building and they didn't move.

_**'Locked.'** _

That annoyed him a bit that he would have to fumble with keys to open the door but he did so nonetheless.

He went through half the keyring before he found the one he needed and headed inside. He heard the door slam and click behind him so he assumed that the door could only be opened from the inside—what with the USA's gun rights, it would make sense that they didn't want people other than students coming in. But he decided not to dwell on that.

He headed down the hall, pausing for a moment to revistit the map in his head.

_**'First floor. Before the staircase.'** _

He continued on his way, keeping his eyes opened for the stairs. He knew the stairwell was in the open instead of behind a doorway so it wouldn't be hard to find. As he turned the corner, he came across what he was looking for. The staircase was at the end of the hall and right before it was the classroom.

He checked the name tag over the door to double check and it was indeed the female teacher he was wanting to find. There were two entrances to the classroom, one right before the staircase and one farther down the hall. Izaya went in through the closest door—which was the one farther down the hall.

It was a simple classroom with five-by-four rows of desk with a teachers desk in the front of the chalkboard at the head of the classroom.

_**'Okay, I'm here. Where are you, Alessa?'** _

Izaya turned his flashlight off since there were several windows that weren't covered with curtains or other things. He then turned to the shelves in the back. There was almost nothing but books except for an insignificant snowglobe. To make sure he wasn't missing anything, he flipped through the books. He came across one that stated it belonged to Alessa Gillepsie but there was nothing specific in it.

He put the book down and headed to the desks. He quickly noticed all the desks were dirty—no surprise—except for a spot on one. He headed to that specific desk to see a handprint on the wood and on the wood was the word 'WITCH' chizzled into it. The name tag on the corner stated it was indeed Alessa's desk—as Izaya had thought.

He opened it, exposing books and drawings. The raven ignored the school objects and went straight to the sketchbook the drawings were sticking out of. He closed the desk to rest the book on the top and went through it.

All the pictures were dark. It seemed that they were happy and bright pictures but someone had gone over them with a black crayon, making the background and sky black with flickers of orange here and there. A few of the pictures were torn out, one of the tattered edges resembling the picture he found at the raft. His eyes narrowed to that realization.

One picture captivated Izaya because he couldn't understand it. The background was black and a person—presumably a girl because it wore a skirt—with black hair was standing in a floor of orange that completely surrounded her. There was that strange cross over her head with yellow glowing around it.

_**'What is this?'** _

The door creaked.

Izaya jolted and looked up.

A girl was standing in the door, staring at him. But as soon as Izaya saw her, she turned and ran.

“Hey!” Izaya dropped the sketchbook on the desk—hearing it clatter to the ground since he bumped it with his hip—and gave chase.

He turned down the hall to the staircase, looking up. He could see the girl through the gaps of the steps, seeing her school uniform and ragged black hair.

“Wait!” Izaya called as he ran up the steps.

* * *

 

Shizuo looked at the map then up at the doors, matching the symbols that he couldn't read. Never before had he hated himself for not paying attention in English back in high school than he did now. He had absolutely no clue what he was reading or where he was going. He just hoped he was heading in the right direction.

He entered another room, finding a snazzy looking room, with couches and elaborate carpet—although it was all run down and covered in dust.

_**'Is this the principal's office?'** _

Shizuo wondered only briefly before he went back out. Izaya wasn't there so it didn't matter to him.

Shizuo pulled out his pen and crossed off the last room on the second floor. He had searched the entire first building and had not found a trace of Izaya. Now it was time he headed to the second building. Stuffing his hands into the pockets of Izaya's coat, he went back down the stairs and down the hall to the double doors.

Once outside he noted his surroundings. A court yard. He found that extremely strange. Were they not in an elementary school? Where were the monkey bars? The slides? The jungle gyms? Did American schools not have that or was it just this particular school? He didn't know those answers and decided he wouldn't waste his time trying to figure that out. Instead, he went across the yard to the other double doors and pulled.

Locked.

Shizuo growled. He was half-tempted to just break them, to snap the knobs off. But he decided against it simply because he would rather lock things out if the chance arose.

So, instead he looked around for a clue.

However, the only clue was writing over the door that was in English—that he couldn't read.

_**'Dammit.'** _

He glowered at the writing.

He looked around for more hints.

_**'I wish I had a translator—'** _

Shizuo gasped loudly.

Then quickly reached into his pockets for Izaya's phones. Specifically the smart phone. He remembered talking to Tom-san about new technology and the dread-locked man started naming off its usefulness—one of which was the translator.

Izaya's smart phone didn't have a passcode lock—which Shizuo thanked for. So he easily swiped the screen and went looking through his apps.

_**'Come one. Come on. Yes!'** _

He clicked the little icon that he was looking for. Then pointed it up to the words above the door. Snapping a picture, he brought it back down as it loaded the translations.

_God Watches Over the World_

…

_**'Well, that's useless.'**_ Shizuo thought with a grumble.

He pocketed the phone and turned back to the first building.

But was completely stooped when he couldn't open those doors either.

“What the hell?! Are they locked from the inside? No!”

Shizuo tugged on the doors again. Then groaned in exasperation.

“What do I do now?!”

He looked around himself in vain hope that there was a key somewhere but he was completely unlucky. So with an annoyed and defeated sigh he slid down the door and sat in the dirt so he could properly battle his options.

* * *

 

“Yuuhei-san. Yuuhei-san.”

Kasuka grumbled at being woken up but made no attempt to shrug Ruri away.

“We've landed, Yuuhei-san.”

“...Okay.” Kasuka sat up in his seat.

The foursome took up to ten minutes getting off the plane. They currently recided on a private airstrip—although whether it was owned by the Awakusu or not was up for debate. A safe distance away sat a black car with a man in black standing by it. He stood professionally with his hands held together in front of him as he waited patiently.

Celty spent a good amount of time trying to get Shooter out of the plane but once she did, the group was set. They packed into the car and drove off with Celty right behind them.

“ _Mr. Shiki has arranged rooms for you in a hotel in Brahms._ ” The man said. “ _If you wish for a guide to Silent Hill, we can easily provide one._ ”

“ _Thank you._ ” Kasuka said in English, his accent thick in his throat. “ _But too many peopre might attlact attention flom the rocals._ ”

“ _Understood. If you change your mind, do not hesitate to call us._ ” The driver handed Kasuka a business card.

“ _We'rl keep that in mind. Thank you._ ”

The rest of the drive was ridden in silence. For nearly an hour, they rode on and on until they reached a small hotel in Brahms as promised. Another car sat waiting for them and when they pulled in, the driver explained that the second car was for them to use. When they got out Kasuka was handed the keys and the two men drove off in the car they came in.

The four foreigners had slept on the plane ride over so none of them were suffering from jetlag. So the group was ready to set out immediately.

* * *

 

Shizuo looked around himself yet again, still not sure what to do. He had been staring at one of the towers that were in each corner of the courtyard and had noted that two of the towers actually had doors on them. He thought maybe that was a hint of some sort but he wasn't sure if he was overthinking it or not.

In the end, he decided to, at least, check them out. The one on his left had a picture of a woman on it. She must have been some saint with the bright aura surrounding her. He tugged on the latch door handle but it was locked.

With a grumble he went to the other door.

This one was different. The picture was broken up and scattered, each piece a square with the left corner empty. He knew automatically it was one of those puzzle piece games, where one slides the squares to rearrange the image into its proper glory.

A little intrigued and a little curious, Shizuo decided to play the puzzle. It took him nearly fifteen minutes to do it but he did it nonetheless.

_**'What the hell is this thing?'**_ Shizuo thought, staring at the creature that was devoid of clothes and hair with flesh over where his eyes should be.

Once the picture was complete, the door had clicked and Shizuo—after he got a good look at the monster—pulled the handle. The door opened.

_**'...That's not the smartest lock to put on a door. A child could figure the code out.'** _

The blond knew there was no point to question it. He looked up at the tower he would be entering, the stones black, ominous, and foreboding.

_**'Would they have put a key up here?'** _

Shizuo decided it was worth a try. He climbed the spiral staircase up to the top of the tower. There was a lookout window, a cabinet and a chair.

And to the blonds horror, there was someone in the chair. The person was very much dead, his skin having already rotted and his clothes sticking to him. He was facing the window as if he had been looking out it when he died and Shizuo could see a very noticably hole going through his skull. It looked nothing like a bullet wound, but more of a knife wound.

_**'Oh god.'** _

Shizuo felt like he was going to be sick. He wanted to leave. He wanted to leave so badly. The sight alone was enough to make his stomach churn but the smell made it absolutely unbearable.

But he didn't. Only because he saw something chrome shining in his rotten hand.

_**'That better be the key. Please be the key. Please please please.'** _

Shizuo creeped forward, taking a deep breath so he didn't have to breath in the smell. He knelt down by the hand and reached for the object. But he hesitated. He _really_ didn't want to. But he forced himself to do it. He had to find Izaya. He _had_ to protect him from the Darkness. And he needed to have that door locked behind him.

He pried the fingers apart and shimmied the chrome out. It was indeed a key but he didn't spend time looking at it. As soon as he had it, he turned and ran back down the stairs as fast as he could.

Once outside, he inhaled deeply before falling to his knees as he panted. Once he had his breath and could control his nerves, he looked down at the key.

Chrome and simple, it was definitely a key to something but whether or not it was to the door was up for debation.

He stood and headed to the second building entrance.

* * *

 

“ _Herlo._ ”

“ _Hi._ ”

“ _I've come to pay the gas._ ” Kasuka held out his credit card to the cashier. “ _And I was wondering if you know how to get to Sirent Hirl? I can't find on this map._ ”

“ _No one goes up to Silent Hill. The towns closed off because of the fire burning underground._ ”

“ _I know. I just want to know how to get there._ ”

“ _...You just follow the highway. The turn off will be on the left._ ”

“ _Thank you vely much._ ”

Kasuka turned and left.

Once the Asian was standing by his car, the cashier picked up the phone and dialed.

“ _911, what is your emergency?”_

“ _A couple of tourists plan to head up to Silent Hill._ ”

“ _Do they know it's off limits?”_

“ _I told them. They say they just want to know how to get there but that seems suspicious._ ”

“ _Alright. We'll send an officer up that way. What are we looking for?”_

“ _They're in a black...ford car. It looks like a newer model. Licent plate is..._ ” She moved closer to the window. “5K _K5555*. There's also a biker with them. I can't see his license plates though, but he's on a black bike with a yellow...cat helmet and a full body black suit. There are four all together. They're all Asian—I'm not sure about the biker though._ ”

“ _Got it. Thanks, Sam. We'll take care of it.”_

“ _Alright. Bye, Ellen._ ”

The girl known as Sam hung up then watched the strangers pile into the car, get on their motorcycle, and drive away. When they left, she could have sworn she heard a horse whiny but she dismissed it as a noise from her customers phones.

* * *

 

Shizuo pushed through the double doors.

“Izaya!” Shizuo called, looking around himself.

A straight hallway lied before him, turning left four door downs. Looking down at the map, he saw that the first floor was just a big square with a staircase on the far left corner leading to the second story.

A loud banging echoed through the hall as soon as the blond entered. Repeatedly something slammed against something else, over and over. Fear started to boil in Shizuo's stomach. But he knew he had to see what it was. What if it was something that would hurt him or Izaya? What if it was Izaya trapped in something? So he followed the noise, which led him to a locker room. It looked similar to the shoe lockers they had back at home.

The banging paused for a moment then continued louder than before. Shizuo balled his fist and worked up the courage to find the source. Three rows down, he found just that. A locker was shaking with every bang, making it apparent that there was something in it.

_**'Okay. Okay. Just...something small. Something small.'** _

Shizuo reached for the locker handle.

_**'Something small. Something small. Probably another swarm of flies. Yeah, probably just another swarm of trapped flies. I've got to let them out. It's only human to let them out.'** _

He unlatched the handle.

And with a fierce hiss, a regular black cat jumped out. Shizuo screamed and jumped back in fright then cursed as the cat ran away.

“How'd you get in there, little guy?” Shizuo muttered.

Knowing the cat wouldn't reply, he sighed and turned to the door.

Then he gasped.

There was something in the hallway. He wasn't sure what it was but it looked human with thick leather covering his entire body, along with a gas mask. It held a crowbar in one hand and a flashlight in the other. What's worse, two more walked into sight—one carrying a bird cage and a flashlight, the other holding just a flashlight.

_**'What the hell—'**_ Shizuo backed away and ran into a table, making the table legs screech.

Shizuo pressed himself to the lockers as the creature turned and looked in his direction. He heard it push open the door and saw its flashlight streak across the room. Shizuo dropped down and glanced around the locker. The creatures weren't in sight so, staying low, he ran over to another table—this one having wooden sides—and pressed himself against it while getting as close to the wall as he could.

_**'What is that? Is that a person?'** _

The flashlight beam shined down the pathway, making Shizuo shimmy closer to the wall and closer to the ground.

_**'Shit. Shit.'** _

Shizuo put a hand over his mouth. Every heavy step the monster took made fear pool in the blonds stomach. If these monsters were anything like the pyramid head thing then three of them were something he couldnt' deal with. One of those things were as strong as him, no way could he fight three. He was in trouble. He didn't know what to do. What's more, he was scared. He was on the verge of panicking, ready to scream and run—

Something clattered to the ground behind the two. Shizuo jolted and the monster turned around to shine his flashlight.

Shizuo raised himself a little bit to peak over the desk and saw the cat from before standing on the desk. When the light was shined on it, it hissed at the thing. The creature scoffed before reaching over and grabbing a stapler—having put its crowbar down.

_**'Hey.'** _

The creature pulled its arm back, prepared to throw.

_**'Hey!'**_ Shizuo got ready to intervene.

“Hey!”

Shizuo jolted and hunched back down quickly.

_**'Who—'** _

“Wait!”

Shizuo's eyes widened. _**'That was Izaya...'**_

The creature dropped the stapler, grabbed his crowbar and turned to the second door. He passed by Shizuo without noticing the blonds presense.

Shizuo exhaled in relief. He hadn't realized how fast his heart had been beating.

Soft fur rubbing against him scared the blond, but he made sure not to attack as he knew it was the cat.

“Thanks for the save.” Shizuo whispered, petting its head breifly before getting into a crouch and going over to the door to peer around it.

The three monsters turned around the corner and headed down the hall, walking fast but not running. _**'That had to be Izaya.'**_

Once the monsters were completely out of sight, Shizuo rushed and pressed himself against the wall. He peered around the corner to see them heading to the stairs.

“Wait!” Izaya's voice came from above, echoing down the staircase.

The monsters quickened their pace, heading up the steps. Shizuo pressed himself against his wall so that they wouldn't see him through the steps.

_**'Izaya.'**_ Determination boiled inside Shizuo. _**'You were here. I'm so glad. Izaya.'**_

* * *

 

“ _Cybil. Head up to Silent Hill. Apparently some tourists plan to head up that way. We're not sure what they plan to do. You're looking for a black Ford, license plate: 5K K5555, and a black motorcyclist with a yellow cat helmet.”_

Cybil wrote down everything she needed to know on her notepad then grabbed her walkie-talkie from her belt.

“10-4.”

She looked over her notes, committed them to memory, then stuffed her notebook and walkie-talkie back into her belt. Once done, she turned on her bike and sped off toward the infamous Silent Hill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unless one has a custom license plate, this is an impossible plate number as far as I know.


	13. Chapter 11: Shizu-Chan, Help Me

Celty drove closely behind Kasuka, Ruri and Shinra. She would rather drive right next to them but they were trying to remain inconspicuous since it was painfully obvious they weren't allowed up to the ghost town. To remain as anonymous as possible was the goal.

But that goal was quickly shattered when blue and red lights began to flash behind them.

Celty looked over to see a single police officer on a bulky black American bike. She was thankful it was just one but her common chase through the streets by another police officer made her jump out of her skin with fright. Out of habit, she wanted to speed away as fast as she could. But she knew that wouldn't bode well for their investigation if she did.

So, instead, she pulled up to the passenger side, tapped on the window and indicated that they should pull over. She noticed that Kasuka had already began to slow down before she guestured to them. And on the next opporutnity, they pulled over completely out of the road onto a shoulder and put the car into park. Celty circled around them so she was by Kasuka's window and typed a message.

_:What do you want to do?:_

“We'll abide by the law. Getting in trouble won't bode well for us or Nii-san.”

_:I thought so.:_

The cop parked and got off the bike, walking up to the foreigners.

“ _Sir,_ ” the cop—apparently a woman—said as she looked at Celty. “ _Can I get you to back away and get off the bike?_ ”

Celty obeyed, having Shooter back up—making it look like she was doing with her legs—so he was in front of Kasuka's car then dimounting.

“ _Stand over here, please._ ”

Celty obeyed.

The cop then bent down to stare at the people in the car.

“ _Good evening._ ”

“ _Good evening._ ” Kasuka said.

“ _Where are you folks heading?_ ”

“ _...To Blahms, ma'am_.”

“ _...Really?_ ”

“ _Yes._ ”

“F _unny, we got a report saying you guys were heading up to Silent Hill._ ”

Kasuka didn't answer.

“ _Where are you folks from?_ ”

“Ikebukuro, Japan.”

“ _That's a long ways._ ”

“Hai.”

“ _Come to see the sights?_ ”

“ _...Werl, no actuarly._ ”

“ _Then to explore? We've had plenty of people come up here to see our ghost town Silent Hill. But I got to tell you, it's dangerous for civilian's to go up there. It's closed off for a reason._ ”

“ _We know._ ”

“ _Yet you still want to go up there?_ ”

“ _...We have oul leasons._ ”

“ _...Okay. Let me see your license or Identification cards from all of you._ ”

Celty stiffened noticably.

_**'Am I going to have to run after all—'** _

“ _Excuse me._ ” Shinra leaned forward. “ _Don't meant to be difficurt but Celty's warret isn't on her pelson. And she can't lide in cars because she has crustlophobia._ ”

“ _Where is your ID, ma'am?_ ” The cop turned to Celty.

“ _I've got it._ ”

As Kasuka and Ruri handed over their's, Shinra dug into his pocket and pulled two cards out.

_**'What? Shinra! When did you make me a fake ID?!'** _

“ _What's your name, sir?_ ”

“Kishitani, Shinra.”

The cop stood up and then paused to stare at the ID's. They were all in Japanese and they all guested she couldn't read them.

“ _Alright._ ” She leaned back down and held the cards to Kasuka. “ _Let's not beat around the bush. I know you're heading to Silent Hill. I can't let you go up there. Now, what I want you to do is turn around, go back to your hotel or wherever you're staying and stay away from the place. It's far too dangerous._ ”

“ _I'm sorly but we can't ._ ” Kasuka said. “ _We have to go up there. It's important._ ”

“ _What's so important that a group of Japanese would come all the way to America for?_ ”

Kasuka didn't answer immediately, contemplating if he should tell her or not, then pulled out his phone and went to his pictures. He then held the phone out, where the cop took it.

“ _My oldel blother, Shizuo. He's rost. He carled me saying he was in Silent Hilr and he needs help._ ”

“ _We thought he had died._ ” Shinra added. “ _Then we got the carl saying he was arive and in Sirent Hirr._ ”

“ _We have to know if it's tlue. If the carl is real or fake._ ” Ruri finished.

“ _We have to get up there._ ” Kasuka said. “ _Nothing wilr stop me flom finding my blother._ ”

The cop looked up at him then down at the picture.

She then sighed.

“ _I can't let you go up there. It's too dangerous._ ”

Kasuka's grip on the steering wheel tightened.

“ _However, if you have a police escort, then you won't be breaking the law._ ”

Their eyes widened.

“ _I'll take you up there. We'll look for your brother together. But I want the whole story once we get there, got it?_ ”

“ _Yes, thank you very much!_ ”

She nodded. “ _What are your names?_ ”

“Heiwajima, Kasuka.”

“Hijibe, Ruri.”

“ _You already know mine!_ ”

The black rider typed on her phone—having changed the language setting to English. _:Celty Sturulson.:_

The cop cocked a brow. “ _Why did you—_ ”

“ _She's mute._ ” Shinra called. “ _She got bulnt in a fire a whire back that destloyed hel vocal colds. That's arso why she weals a fulr body suit and she doesn't rike taking her hermet off alound stlangers. Cuz of scals._ ”

“ _...I see. Okay. Well, I'm Cybil Bennette. Nice to meet you all._ ”

Cybil then went back to her bike, mounted it, and pulled up to Kasuka's window while Celty went to her bike.

“ _Follow me, got it?_ ”

“Hai.”

And with that, the cop sped off with the two vehicles right behind her.

* * *

 

Shizuo became lost. Having spent so much time trying to calm his nerves, he had no clue where the three monsters disappeared to or where Izaya's voice came from. He had two options: go straight down the hall to the second turn or go down the first turn to the stairs.

In the end, he chose to check the neighoring classrooms of both halls for a clue and stumbled into a classroom that was right before the stairs.

* * *

Izaya caught a glimpse of the girl running through a wooden door at the end of the second floor hall. He quickly ran down and pushed the door open, the door slamming behind him.

He found himself to be in a bathrrom—most-likely a girls from the lack of urinals. There was a bench welded into the floor in front of a row of lockers with the stall doors on the other side. But he didn't spend too much time to dwell on that as he heard sobbing coming from one of the bathroom stalls. He turned his flashlight on and knelt down to look for feet. There were none.

He felt anxiety rise at the thought of pushing the doors to see if someone was there. He didn't know what to expect. He didn't know what'd he stumble across.

But he had to help Alessa.

“ _It's okay._ ” Izaya soothed in English. “ _It's okay._ ”

Izaya went to the first stall. Holding the flashlight steady, he reached out. His hand shook as he touched the wood.

He pushed the door open.

Nothing.

He let out the breath he had been holding in.

He went to the next stall.

Pushed.

Nothing.

Third stall.

Locked.

Izaya was surprised at that and pushed a little harder. The door wouldn't budge. The raven hunkered down to look into the stall, flashing his light up towards the toilet.

Izaya light flashed on a creature, that hissed at him and lunged forward. The raven screamed and fell back, slamming into the bench with his shoulder blades hard. The creature landed in front of him, giving him a glare.

In which Izaya glared right back at him. The creature was nothing more than a small pale yellow cat with blood red eyes.

As soon as the two made eye contact, the cat turned and ran.

“Stupid fucking cat.” Izaya growled as the cat disappeared into a hall in the wall under the sinks.

Izaya let out a heavy sigh, slightly embarrassed by being jumpscared by a cat.

He heard sobs coming from the next stall, which was the widest. He stood and went to it.

“ _Hey, it's okay._ ” Izaya said. “ _I'm sorry I yelled. I want to help you. It's okay._ ”

Holding the light steady, he pushed the door open.

Automatically, he backed away and put a hand over his mouth.

There was a man in the stall. But the man was very much dead with barbed wire wrapped around his wrists and pinned to the wall so it looked similar to a crucifition. His head was tilted back due to barbed wire wrapped around his eyes and connected to his ankles that were bent backwards over his back. He wore a dark blue uniform that looked similar to a janitor's body suit, however it was torn and shredded—most-likely by the barbed wire. The name tag was stil on his suit, showing his name was Collin.

_**'What the hell?'**_ Izaya felt his eyes get misty. _**'What did this man do to deserve this?'**_

Izaya wanted to leave. But he stayed only because of thhe scrawling on the wall behind the corpse.

**DARE YOU**

**DARE YOU**

**DOUBLE DARE YOU**

Arrows pointed down to the dead man.

Izaya scrutinized the man and noticed there was something sticking out of his mouth.

_**'No way. There's no way—I have to be overthinking it...'** _

The raven reread the words and looked back to the mouth over and over until he worked up his nerves.

“...Okay...” He said to himself, putting the flashlight down on the bench. “Okay, I can do this.”

He stepped forward again and again until he was in the stall. He kept his eyes locked on the mouth, slinking his hand underneath the barbed wire. He could hear his heart beating in his ears. Cold sweat going down his spine, his hands were shaking, and he was holding his breath although he wasn't aware of any of this. All he focused on was the object so he couldn't think of what he was doing.

He grabbed it and slowly pulled it out. Once his hand was free of the barbed wire, all Izaya's sense's came rushing back to him. He had just pulled something out of a dead man's mouth. Out of a _dead man's mouth_. The concept alone was absolutely disgusting but the fact that he had done it made his stomach clench.

He turned and hacked, feeling bile rise in his thorat. He ran away from the stall, grabbing his flashlight and heading to the door.

He swung the door open and rushed outside; only to screech to a stop. Three...things were in the hallway. They looked like men decked out in leather mining suits and the prospect of them being human only intensified when the three shined flashlights at him. But he had absolutely no clue if they were friendly or not. So he allotted to run back into the bathroom and shut the door. He heard their heavy footsteps approaching as he pulled out the key ring. He tried one key but was no good. They were getting closer, he could hear them as clear as day. He tried another key. Wrong again.

“Come on, come on, come on.”

He tried another.

***Click***

He let out the breath he wasn't aware he was holding in and pressed his back to the door.

Something slammed against the door, making him jolt. He gasped and pulled the key out of the lock.

_**'Shit. Shit. Help.'** _

The slams were now repeating.

“Oh god. Help me.” Izaya closed his eyes shut. “Help me. Someone please. Shizu-chan. Shizu-chan, help me. Help me. Shizu-chan.”

* * *

 

Shizuo heard repeated banging echo throughout the hall. He looked up from the desk he was inspecting—one that was covered in chiveled English words that he didn't know—and looked around himeslf. Quickly, he pinpointed where it was coming from and ran to it, followed closely by his black cat friend.

* * *

 

The banging sound changed from beating on the wood to metal on metal. Izaya pushed against the door hard, knowing they were using a crowbar on the door handle.

“Help. Shizu-chan.”

* * *

Shizuo ran up the stairs and saw the three monsters banging against a door at the end of the hall.

Shizuo didn't know why. He had no evidence to assume anything. But his gut told him Izaya was behind that door. And those three were after him.

He quickly looked around himself and grabbed a cup that sat on the ground. He chucked it.

His aim was off and the small object missed the creatures, shattering next to one of their feet. But it got their attention.

Shizuo ran, followed again by the cat.

He heard the three giving chase.

* * *

“ _And that's what happened._ ” Kasuka said to Cybil, who now drove their car up the windy road. They left Cybil's bike a little way past the bridge—which had been fenced off but the police woman had the key—and were now heading slowly up the road along the side of a mountain.

“ _...So you don't even know if he's alive._ ”

“ _No, I don't. That's why I have to come hele._ ”

Cybil nodded. “ _...Do you have dust masks?_ ”

“ _I think so._ ” Kasuka opened the glove compartment. “ _We were tord the air alound Silent Hirl was toxic._ ”

“ _That's right. How many do you have?_ ”

Kasuka counted. “ _Four._ ”

“ _Uh oh._ ”

“ _Certy wilr be fine._ ” Shinra said. “ _She has hel hermet._ ”

“ _How thicks the padding inside?_ ”

“ _Thick and fruffy._ ”

“ _...I'm going to check when we get there._ ”

“ _E~h? But she can't take it off!_ ”

“ _She'll have to. I can't let her go up there if it's hazardous for her._ ”

_**'Oh~ no.'**_ Shinra grabbed his phone.

_:Officer Bennette wasn't to check your helmet to see if its insilated.:_

“ _Okay, then when you do that, Celty wilr come into the car and I'lr take the hermet, okay?_ ”

“ _What about her clustrophobia?_ ”

“ _I'lr be with her so it's okay._ ”

“ _...Fine. Did you just text her?_ ”

“ _No._ ” Shinra smiled.

Cybil glowered at him in the rearview. Then she looked back to the road and slowed significantly.

“ _We're here._ ”

She pulled over, Celty following right behind them.

While Shinra and Celty went with their plan, Kasuka got out and looked down the road. An old sign stood a little ahead on the other side of the road, the paint cracked and chipped.

_Welcome to SILENT HILL_

“Nii-san.”

* * *

Shizuo ran after the cat, hoping putting his trust in an animal wouldn't lead to his downfall.

_**'Come on, little guy. Don't do me wrong now.'** _

The cat turned into a classroom. Shizuo followed.

And then the cat was gone.

_**'Oh no!'** _

“No. Where'd you go, little guy?”

“Mrow!”

Shizuo jolted and looked around.

The cat was in the back of the classroom, standing by a shelf.

Shizuo rushed over and quickly noticed scufflines on the floor. Following their examples, he pushed the shelf—ecstatic to find a little cubby-hole. He hunkered down and shimmied in, pulling the shelf so it mostly hid the hole.

The cat rubbed against Shizuo but he ignored it as the thundering footsteps came down the hall. His breath slowed, his heart raced. The steps were coming closer and closer. Through the small gap between the wall and cubby, Shizuo saw them in the classroom window. He balled his fist.

They ran by.

_**'Eh?'** _

Shizuo let out his breath as confusion set in.

“Mrow.”

Shizuo looked down at the cat, who stood behind him in the cubby. The cat looked at him before turning around and shimmying through a gap on the other side.

“Wait!” Shizu called, ready to follow.

But froze when a piercing siren split through the air.

* * *

Izaya's eyes widened when the banging stopped.

_**'Did they leave?'**_ Izaya thought.

Although he wanted to believe that, there was no way he was going to check. It could be a trick. They could be waiting outside the door, ready to pounce when he opened it.

He looked up at a window pane above to door. The glass wasn't seethrough but the window turned to open. He glanced over at the bench and glowered when he remembered it was bolted down. He looked around himself.

But became distracted when a siren screeched in the distance.

* * *

 

“ _Shizuo Heiwajima, Izaya Orihara, I am an officer of the law and I'm here to take you to safety._ ” Cybil said, holding a megaphone out the car window. “ _Shizuo Heiwajima, Izaya Orihara, I am an officer of the law and I'm here to take you to safety._ ”

They stopped the car and waited.

When there was no reply, they continued driving—going less than 5 mph.

“ _Let me try._ ” Kasuka siad.

“ _Here._ ” She handed it over.

Kasuka rolled down his window.

“Nii-san, it's Kasuka. Where are you? Shizuo-nii-san, answer if you can. It's Kasuka.”

Once the echo seased, Celty had Shooter whiny—making it look like she honked a horn—in hopes Shizuo or Izaya would recognize it and come their way.

There was still no sign.

Cybil saw the dishearten expression cross everyone's face. So she pulled over and parked the car.

“ _Come on. Let's check the buildings._ ”

Kasuka looked up at her. “ _Right._ ”

The four passengers vacated the car.

“We're searching on foot.” Shinra told Celty.

Celty nodded and sat Shooter by the car. She told him to say there then followed after the humans while Kasuka continued to call on the megaphone.

* * *

 

“Oh god.” Izaya and Shizuo muttered, looking around themselves before the rooms went dark. “It's happening again.”

The two turned on their flashlights, shining them around themselves.

The tiles of the bathroom fell off the wall while the dry wall peeled off and fell to the ground with a plop.

The cubby hole convexed outwards to make it wider as the wood splintered and the paint peeled.

_**'Izaya...'** _

_**'Shizu-chan.'** _

_**'I've got to get to him!'** _

_**'Where are you?!'** _

 


	14. Chapter 12: We Were Finally Reunited!

Izaya was rushing to leave the bathroom when a strange noise drew his attention away. It sounded like wires scraping and snapping so he quickly turned and pointed his flashlight.

A hand reached out from the last stall. Izaya gasped and backed away.

Collin the Janitor, with his legs bent over his back by the barbed wire that wrapped around his eyes, pulled himself out of the stall with his arms. Slowly, he crawled out, his tongue flicking out of his mouth as he groaned and grunted. He reached up and put his hand to the wall. Strands of...something spread across the wall. Izaya wasn't sure what it was but it looked like stretched flesh that crept its way across the wall towards him.

Izaya was frozen in horror. He had never seen this monster before. He had no clue what he did or what the strands did. But he decided not to find out. Turning to the entrance, he slammed the door open and ran—but not before seeing tumor-like lumps form on the wall and pop, letting over-sized bugs that looked similar to tree louse climb out.

* * *

Shizuo pushed the shelf out of the way and crawled out of the cubby. He quickly stood and ran, heading for the stairs. However, the stairs were now cut off, a chain link fence blocking his path.

"Shit!"

Shizuo pulled on the fence but it wouldn't give. He then tried to spread it apart but again it held.

"SHIT!"

Remembering the first floor was a giant square, he turned and ran around the corner. Only to be disappointed.

"FUCK!"

Another chain link fence blocked the next corner right after the hallway that led outside. He ran to it regardless, gripping the fence and pulling.

"Come on!"

_**'I can smash metal easily! Why—'** _

A scream pulled Shizuo from his thoughts. It was a scream he recognized. It wasn't as spine-tingling as last time but he definitely knew it.

"Iza..."

Shizuo quickly turned around and ran back around the corner. He saw a flash of movement run past the fence out of sight so he quickly backtracked to the one by the exit hallway and pushed it forward to look down the hall.

A person turned the corner and was running towards him.

Shizuo felt tears rise.

"IZAYA!"

* * *

Izaya jolted and looked around himself when he heard his name being called.

"Shizu..."

He recognized it automatically. And as he ran up to a chain link fence, he saw a familiar face.

"Shizu-chan!"

Izaya ran toward Shizuo, the blond having tears in his eyes as he smiled at the raven. Izaya felt his own eyes become misty at the relief that encased his being. He pressed himself to the fence, grabbing a handful of chain link in one grip and holding Shizuo's own hand through the fence with the other.

"You're alive!" Shizuo yelled. "Thank god."

"I wouldn't go that far." Izaya chuckled.

Shizuo only chuckled as he stared at Izaya. Izaya did the same, taking in the sight of the blond. The raven was quite horrified to see that Shizuo's white shirt was dyed red. His blond locks was only covered in red with streaks of yellow here and there. His skin was also dyed, having a faint shade of red on it. He wore Izaya's fur-trimmed coat that had it's own stains of blood but nothing in comparison to Shizuo.

Shizuo couldn't contain his relief at seeing Izaya alive. He was overjoyed that he finally wasn't alone in this hell. He quickly scanned Izaya up and down, trying to see if the raven was injured. He couldn't find anything apparent except for the blood splatter that was stained on his neck and smeared on his face, copying the stains on Izaya's jacket. Izaya also had a hunter's knife sheathed to his belt.

"What happen—" Izaya started.

But his words were cut off by a scream as an over-sized tree louse landed on his head.

"Izaya!" Shizuo pulled on the fence.

Izaya threw the bug off and looked around himself. The hall he had just came from was a wall of bugs. He quickly turned back to Shizuo.

"Run!" Izaya yelled before following his own advice.

"Wait, Izaya!"

"RUN!"

Izaya ducked into a small door frame, where he froze. A burning mine shaft was underneath him, his only way across a single metal beam. Across the way was another chain link fence but he saw some of the links were broken. He looked down at the fire then back at the exit.

_**'Come on.'** _

"Come on!"

Izaya forced himself to run across.

Once at the fence he pushed against it hard and repeatedly.

_**'Break! Break!'** _

He gave one final push before becoming distracted by something on his right. He quickly flashed his light over to see a ragged black-haired girl sitting on a desk scrawling furiously on a sketch pad. When the light shined on her, she looked up.

But as soon as she looked up, Izaya fell through the hole in the fence.

* * *

"Wait, Izaya!"

"RUN!"

Shizuo's eyes stretched wide at the swarm of bugs that came scurrying down the hall. Izaya was in his right mind to run.

_**'We were finally reunited! We can't separate now!'** _

Shizuo turned to look at the hall then quickly pushed off towards the exit.

The front doors were gone, most-likely having disintegrated away because of the Darkness.

 _ **'So much for locking the doors.'**_ He thought with a glower.

"Izaya!"

Shizuo turned the corner and was ran into. The blond screamed and stumbled back in surprise wrapping his arms around the person he collided with so he didn't fall as well.

He stared down at the person he held and his heart soared.

"Izaya!"

* * *

"Nii-san!"

"Shizuo, Izaya!"

"Shizuo-san!"

"Shizuo Heiwajima!"

The group called as they entered the elementary school. Kasuka and Cybil led the group, looking through every room in the first building.

"Nii-san!"

"Izaya Orihara!"

"Izaya!"

Kasuka felt his hopes diminish with every empty building. This was the last building besides the hospital they haven't checked. Shizuo wasn't anywhere to be found.

Ruri came up and squeezed Kasuka's hand for comfort. Although Kasuka appreciated it, it did little help.

The group then moved into the courtyard, crossing it so they could enter the next building.

* * *

"Run."

Shizuo looked down at Izaya before the raven pulled away, grabbed Shizuo's hand and pulled him to the tower he couldn't enter earlier.

"Wa-wait, Izaya! That place is locked!"

"Just run!"

Izaya tugged Shizuo hard.

Kasuka and Ruri were the first to enter the second building. Only to pause in the entrance.

Kasuka looked around himself.

"Yuuhei-san?" Ruri questioned.

Kasuka pushed his mask down and inhaled deeply.

" _Hey, put that back on!_ " Cybil yelled.

Kasuka ignored her as he turned back to the courtyard. He looked around then turned right and headed to a tower in the corner of the clearing.

* * *

"I told you!" Shizuo yelled when Izaya grabbed the doorknob and it wouldn't open.

"Shut up!"

Izaya pulled a key ring out of his pocket and quickly went about trying to find the right one.

It took him three tries but he finally got the right key and the door opened.

"Go go go go!" Izaya barked, pushing Shizuo.

Shizuo obeyed and Izaya followed closely behind. Slamming the door, the raven locked it from the inside.

"Up! Go up!"

Shizuo grabbed Izaya's hand then did as ordered. The two ran up the stairs as fast as they could.

* * *

Kasuka stood in front of the tower, looking up at it before pulling the door open with no effort at all.

"Yuuhei-san!"

Kasuka dashed up the stairs, reaching the top in no time.

* * *

Shizuo and Izaya stood at the top of the tower, panting heavily.

"How long will that door hold?" Shizuo asked, looking around for an escape route.

"Hopefully long enough."

Shizuo looked out the window—the opening now covered in a thin layer of glass.

_**'I can't see anything.'** _

* * *

Kasuka stood at the top of the tower, looking around quickly before going to the window.

He could see most of Silent hill from that spot, the hospital in sight.

But there was no Shizuo.

_**'I know I smelled it. Shizuo-Nii's scent.'** _

He knew he smelt the unmistakable scent of cigarettes and strawberries. But why wasn't Shizuo there?

"SHIZUO!"

"Kasuka!" Cybil yelled, reaching the top and rushing over to the movie star.

" _He was here._ " Kasuka muttered as Cybil turned him around.

" _There's no one here. Put your mask on._ " Cybil grabbed the mask and pulled it over his mouth and nose.

" _I smelled his cigarettes. His cigarettes._ "

Cybil pulled on Kasuka's upper eyelid, checking his eyes for dilation. " _He's not here. Come on._ "

The police officer grabbed Kasuka's wrist.

" _We still have the second building to check. Come on._ "

Kasuka followed silently.

 


	15. Chapter 13: Is There a Way Out?

Izaya coughed on his spot on the ground. The wind had been knocked out of him and his side hurt from the impact. But even though he hurt, he forced himself to sit up.

_**'Shizu-chan...'** _

Someone ran around the corner, screeching to a stop when he saw Izaya.

"A-are you okay?" The person knelt down by his side.

Izaya looked up and his eyes widened.

"Shizu..."

_**'...No. Wait, this isn't—'** _

Ear-piercing screeches echoed down the hall, followed by the sound of heavy metal scraping on metal.

Izaya's eyes widened, recognizing it automatically.

The raven grabbed 'Shizuo's' hand and pulled him toward the double doors across the yard. The blond stumbled but Izaya forced him to keep his bearings. The raven looked over his shoulder, terrified to see that Red Pyramid was indeed walking towards them—although slowly due to him dragging a large sword behind him.

_**'Shit!'** _

"Hurry!" Izaya tugged 'Shizuo'.

The two burst through the double doors.

And came to a halt.

The three creatures in the leather outfits from before stood in front of them. However, they were all in the middle of a mass of the over-sized tree lice. They were all screaming and thrashing wildly, trying to get the insects off them. One fell on the ground in his thrashes, getting enveloped with the swarm.

"Oh god..." 'Shizuo' began to shake and he took a few steps back.

Izaya quickly looked around and automatically spotted a room with the doors wide open.

"Here!"

He tugged 'Shizuo' again.

The two ran into the room as the bugs swarmed toward them. Izaya pushed on the door, the metal heavy.

"Help me!"

the blond jolted then quickly rushed over and pushed on the doors. The bugs were right outside, attempting to crawl through the space that was growing ever smaller. Finally the two slammed the door shut, squishing a couple of insects while one fell in, landing on it's back and wriggling. Izaya looked down at it and was horrified to see it had a human face that glared at him while screeching. Then he glared back and stomped on it, crushing it under his shoe in a splattering mess of green. He breathed out a sigh of relief.

But it was short-lived as the door was pushed the insects were trying to open it.

"Shit!"

Izaya pushed against the door, looking around. There was no way out of the room, the side walls were made of grate and the wall across from them was blocked by a fan that was spinning fast enough to—most-likely—chop off someone's limb. However, there was a loose pipe that ran across it to block it off.

"That pipe!" Izaya yelled, smacking 'Shizuo's' arm to get his attention. Then he pointed at it. "Give me that pipe!"

"O-Okay."

'Shizuo' rushed over while Izaya blocked the doors with his body. He pushed the bar up, struggling to do so.

"Hurry!"

"I am."

"Quickly! Come on!"

"I got-got it." 'Shizuo' strained to lift the pipe above his head, swinging it around and slamming it against the door above Izaya's head.

Izaya reached up and pulled the bar down to the door handles. Izaya slowly backed away and was relieved when the doors stayed shut. He let out a breath and stepped back until he was almost pressed to the wall.

"Is there a way out?" 'Shizuo' asked.

"No." Izaya unsheathed his hunter's knife.

"Is-is that the only weapon you have?"

"Yeah." Izaya looked at him. "What about you?"

"I-I don't have anything."

 _ **Shit.'**_ "Okay. Say close then."

'Shizuo' nodded.

* * *

Shizuo couldn't stand the noises he was hearing. The screeching, the scratching, the banging. It was sending chills down his spine and making him sweat. He finally decided to cover his ears in hopes to block them out.

"Oi!" Izaya grabbed Shizuo's wrist. The blonds eyes widened as he looked up at him. "Don't crap out on me. I ain't gonna fucking carry you ass, got me?"

Shizuo was more than surprised by Izaya's abrasive statement. That didn't sound like Izaya at all. The raven always spoke properly, with correct grammar and nearly never cursed. He wouldn't talk like lower class gangbangers even when flustered.

"Oi!" Izaya tugged on Shizuo's shirt. "You fucking listening or did you already turn fucking dumb?"

_**'This doesn't seem like...'** _

"Izaya...?" Shizuo questioned, turning on his flashlight to shine at the raven's face.

But before he could get a proper look—or for the raven to reply—the sound of wood splitting made the both of them jump. They heard a metallic groan as more wood was broken.

"Shit!" Izaya cursed and quickly looked around.

Shizuo shined his light down the stairwell, able to hear the insects screeching and scurrying up the steps.

"Shit, shit, fuck..."

"Hey, dumbass!"

Shizuo jolted and quickly turned around.

"Help me!" Izaya pointed to the ceiling. Shizuo quickly shined his light to the roof to see a small hatch.

"But...we'll be trapped on the roof—"

"Do you wanna be trapped on the roof or in this fucking room?! Cuz sure as shit, I'm not dying because of you!"

The screeching and scurrying only got louder. Shizuo decided not to question Izaya and rushed over to him. He let the flashlight dangle around his wrist as he cupped his hands together. Izaya put his foot into the blonds hands. With no effort at all, Shizuo hoisted Izaya up, the raven holding onto his shoulders till he was high enough to touch the ceiling. Izaya pushed, straining to open the hatch. Which only put Shizuo on edge as the insects were only getting closer. He glanced over and sure enough he could see a black mass heading up the stairs. It wasn't a man— _ **'Thank god'**_ —but a giant swarm of crawling blackness heading straight towards him.

"Come on, Izaya!"

"Shut up! I'm trying!"

"Try harder!"

Izaya strained. The door only budged but didn't open.

"SHIT!" Izaya yelled. "Fu—waaah!"

Shizuo let Izaya down, who almost fell to the sudden movement. Then he pushed the raven away from the stairs.

"Stand back!" He yelled and grabbed the metal chair.

Shizuo lifted it and threw it at the window. The glass shattered. Shizuo looked over his shoulder to see the insects were inches away before he grabbed Izaya's wrist.

"Come on!"

The two dashed for the window, Shizuo making Izaya go first then following after him to stand on the ledge.

"What now, genius?"

"Climb to the roof."

"How the fuck am I supposed to do that?!"

"The Izaya I know wouldn't have a problem!" Shizuo turned so he was facing the window, ready to reach up and pull himself up.

"You're fucking crazy—"

The raven's scream was cut short as something dripped onto the ledge. The two looked up to see a male figure leaning over the edge, his hands sticking to the wall as he slowly climbed down head first. Shizuo's eyes widened in horror.

_**'The corpse from the other tower?'** _

The corpse hissed and opened its mouth, liquids dripping out.

"Jump!" Shizuo turned, grabbed Izaya's wrist and leaped off the edge.

Izaya screamed and grabbed onto Shizuo tightly. Green liquids splattered on the window ledge, the liquids spraying every which way. But neither of them payed any mind as they were falling. Shizuo grabbed Izaya and pulled him close, the raven still holding onto his arm.

Shizuo landed on the ground without a problem, his ankles hurting slightly. But he didn't stop to think about that as he took off in a run with Izaya still in his hold.

* * *

Izaya shivered at the breeze of the fan. He still held his hunter's knife tightly, ready for whatever would be coming his way. 'Shizuo' was close to him, looking scared and vulnerable. Any other time Izaya would have laughed and poked fun at him but now was definitely not the time.

Something metallic scraped against the ground, loud and ear-piercing. It made the two men jolt and look to the door.

"Oh god, what is that?" 'Shizuo' whimpered.

Izaya didn't answer. Instead, he brandished his knife and hunkered into a defensive position.

The noise repeated itself three more times, every time getting closer and closer. It only stopped when it was right outside their door.

The sudden silence was deafening.

Then all too fast, the metal of the door was split by a giant sword which looked like a scaple that came thrusting towards them. 'Shizuo' screamed as Izaya grabbed him and pressed them both to the wall behind them.

The sword couldn't reach them. They were barely safe from being cut, no matter how many times the sword swung back and forth. The two turned their heads with every swing, the tip inches away from slicing their cheeks. Izaya noticed that the hole the sword had created was only getting wider with every swing. And those damnable insects were coming through.

 _ **'Shit.'**_ He thought. **_'Shit!'_**

The sword finally retracted. Quickly, it was pulled away and—seeing through the hole—was stabbed into the wall.

But it was soon replaced with a reaching, grabbing hand. 'Shizuo' screamed again, pressing himself close to Izaya. Izaya could only glare at the arm, remembering all the times this bastard had run him through. Hatred was boiling in his system. He wanted to hurt this guy too. He _had_ to hurt this man. So, he decided he would.

Rushing forward, he sliced at the arm, which caused it to draw back.

"What are you doing?! Ge-get back!" 'Shizuo' called.

Izaya ignored him and continued to cut that damnable arm. The same arm that had choked the life out of him, snapped his neck, skinned him, gutted him. So many times this thing had killed him over and over and over.

The arm reached to grab him. But Izaya would have none of it. He stabbed his hunter's knife into the palm of the hand and jammed it into the pipe that was keeping the door shut. The hand became stuck.

"HA!" Izaya teased as he stepped back.

It was then that he noticed the room had a good amount of insects in it. 'Shizuo' was kicking and swiping as many off him as he could, screaming all the while. And he was quickly being overwhelmed.

Izaya rushed over to help the flailing blond.

"Hold on!" Izaya yelled. "Stop moving!"

Izaya grabbed two bugs off 'Shizuo's' chest and threw them away. He could feel insects climbing up his legs so he quickly shook his leg off to try and get them off. 'Shizuo' was doing the same.

"Shit!" Izaya yelled.

Then everything turned for the worse. With a metallic roar, the pyramid head pulled his arm up and freed himself—knocking the bar out of place. The door bursted open, the pyramid head charging forward.

"Look out!" Izaya pushed 'Shizuo' out of the way.

The pyramid head—Red Pyramid, Izaya recognized when he noticed the shape of the metal head—slammed shoulder first into the fan. Black blood splattered from the creature, the metal blades braking and flying off in different directions—which exposed a hole to escape through.

With the door gone, the swarm of insects flooded into the room. Izaya looked around for his knife but couldn't find it, most-likely under the mass. So instead, he pulled one of the fan blades and swung it into the triangular head as hard as he could. Red Pyramid screamed—the roar inhuman and loud—as he fell away.

"Go, go, go!" Izaya yelled, grabbing 'Shizuo's' arm and pulling him to his feet.

He pushed 'Shizuo' into the exit, pulling any remaining insects off him. Then quickly tried to climb in after him.

However, he didn't make it very far as the Red Pyramid grabbed his ankle. Izaya screamed as he was pulled out.

"No!" 'Shizuo' called, turning around.

"Get out of _hargh_!"

Red Pyramid wrapped his arm around Izaya's neck, pressing the raven to his naked flesh, to put him in a choke hold. Izaya grabbed the arms that held him, his windpipes being constrained. He kicked and tried to squirm as insects began climbing up his legs. He saw 'Shizuo' was torn between helping or obeying Izaya and running. In the end, 'Shizuo' grabbed one of the fan blades and threw it. It bounced off the triangular head without any effect.

_**'I can't...die...here. Shizu...'** _

Izaya's vision was starting to fade, his lungs aching, his limbs going weak.

"Let him go!" 'Shizuo' yelled, throwing another fan blade.

 _ **'...Shit...'**_ Izaya thought, falling into the habit of resigning himself to his fate.

Then all too suddenly, Izaya was released. He fell to his knees and began hacking and coughing, rubbing his throat.

_**'Wha...'** _

Izaya saw the insects on him fall off and lay belly up. They twitched then blatantly died. The raven quickly looked over his shoulder to see Red Pyramid had turned away, slowly walking over to grab his giant blade.

_**'Is it...'** _

Red Pyramid pulled his sword out of the wall as the dead insects turned to ash and raised to the sky. The walls began returning to their original state, the door melding back together so the hole was gone. 'Shizuo' rushed out of the exit as the fan mended itself and put itself back into place.

"Ar-are you okay?" 'Shizuo' knelt in front of Izaya, grabbing his shoulders.

Izaya looked over his shoulder one last time to see the Red Pyramid turn to ash. He finally relaxed and fell forward, fatigue finally hitting him as his lungs worked overtime to undo the effects of his strangulation.


	16. Chapter 14: I At Least Want To Find His Body

 

Kasuka looked utterly defeated as he sat in the passenger seat of the car. Ruri was driving, following Cybil down the road out of Silent Hill with Celty taking up the rear. They had found absolutely no one and nothing. Other than the smell Kasuka had got, there were no traces of anyone living or dead in Silent Hill.

Meaning the phone call had been faked.

And that thought completely crushed Kasuka. That meant his brother was dead. He was never coming back.

His brother was gone forever.

The drive back down the mountain was sullen and silent. Not even the chatterbox Shinra dared say anything.

Once they reached the bridge, Cybil pulled off onto the shoulder. Ruri and Celty followed behind and parked. The police woman got off her bike and turned to the two vehicles. Kasuka rolled down his window while Ruri and Shinra got out to talk.

" _Now, don't you try to come up here again._ " Cybil said. " _We have constant surveillance on this road way. And we can't have civilian's wondering around up here._ "

No one answered.

" _I'm sorry we couldn't find anything. If you want, we can go down to the station and you can file a missing per_ —"

" _There'd be no point._ " Kasuka interrupted.

Cybil stared at him before sighing. " _You have my condolences. I'm sorry for your loss._ "

Kasuka didn't answer.

" _Thank you fol taking us up._ " Ruri said, bowing to her.

Cybil nodded. " _I'll escort you into Brahms. You lot take care of yourselves after that._ "

"Hai." Shinra and Ruri answered.

The four got back on their respected vehicles and drove off.

* * *

Shizuo panted as he held Izaya to his chest, pressing himself to the wall of an alley. The hell had ended not long after he left the school behind. However, the skinned dogs and some strange pterodactyl monsters were chasing after them still. Shizuo easily out-ran them but he had been running around the town without stop while carrying a person so it was no surprise he was starting to tire.

The dogs ran by without seeing them, allowing Shizuo a moments reprieve.

"Would you fucking put me down?" Izaya snarled.

Shizuo jolted and looked down at the raven. He hadn't said anything the entire run till now. "Um, y-yeah."

Shizuo lowered the raven's legs so he could stand.

"Thanks, dipstick." Izaya ruffled out his red fur-trimmed coat and pushed his pants around his thighs down as if to get rid of a wedgie.

Shizuo stared at the raven, confusion setting in. The man in front of him looked exactly like Izaya—black clothes, black hair, fur-trimmed coat, exact face, body build—however, Shizuo was starting to question who this was for several reasons. One of which was his language and speech in general, which he had noticed earlier. Another is the fact that Shizuo was wearing Izaya's coat yet this Izaya had his own—albeit red instead of tan. And his eyes. His eyes were the most obvious give away. They were blood red instead of russet brown; what's more there wasn't that manipulative pleasure that was always there. The spark that flared whenever Izaya was scheming; the maniacal happiness whenever he lied eyes on Shizuo; calculating; observing. None of that was present in Izaya's gaze. Just hatred and annoyance.

"Are you...Izaya?"

The raven cocked a brow to cast him an 'are you stupid' look and opened his mouth to answer.

However, he didn't get time as Shizuo's phone began to screech and whine in his pocket. The blond looked around quickly and spotted a few dogs sniffing across the street.

"Shit." He muttered.

"Here." The raven whispered as he whacked Shizuo's arm.

He turned back to him. The Izaya-look-alike rushed over to a window and pushed it up. It jammed once but with a good push it opened all the way. Next moment he was trying to clamor in. Shizuo grabbed the raven's foot to push him up—which made it much easier for him to get in. Once inside, he turned around and held his hands out to Shizuo. The blond accepted the offer and was pulled up in the house.

The stranger closed the window, looked out to see if anything had spotted them, then shut the curtains.

"Who are you?" Shizuo asked.

"I ain't your Izaya, that's for sure." He growled, casting Shizuo a glare before heading to the fridge. "Name's Hachimenroppi."

"Hachi...men..."

"Just call me Roppi, short bus."

Shizuo glared at him.

Roppi checked the fridge, finding nothing, same for the freezer.

"What are you doing here?" Shizuo asked.

"Well, right now I'm looking for food while hiding from down syndrome dogs."

"No, I mean, how'd you get here? I thought there weren't any people in Silent Hill."

The raven hesitated. "I could ask you the same thing." He then looked at him with suspicion. "Only thing I've seen so far are monsters."

"...I'm not a monster." Shizuo glared at him.

"Last I checked, humans can't jump two stories without breaking their ankles."

"I'm built tough."

"Well, I am too." He reached over and grabbed a kitchen knife. "Give me a reason I should trust you."

Shizuo paused, staring at the knife pointed at him, then at the face that was twisted in a scowl. Then he sighed and stepped forward. "I could have killed you a hundred times over today. But I haven't."

Roppi took a step back, holding the knife steady. Shizuo continued forward.

"And if I were one of those monster's, why would they be after me too? I'm in the same boat you are: trying to get out of here alive."

Roppi just stared at him. "Got to say, pulling a deer in headlights doesn't bode well for survival."

Shizuo glared at him. "I was scared."

"You need to react, not panic, dumbass." Roppi glared at him with enough hatred to kill as he stabbed the knife into the table. "Got to say, for a monster, you're pretty cowardly."

"I'm not a monster." He growled. "My name's Heiwajima Shizuo. I'm from Ikebukero, Japan. I came here with a...friend of mine to investigate Silent Hill."

"Where's this friend?"

"He was at the school. That's why I thought he was you." Shizuo sighed in defeat. "We were so close too."

"...Hm. Then I guess we are in the same boat, if you're telling the truth. I'm looking for someone too."

"You're not alone?" Shizuo asked, surprised.

"Yeah, my...friend and I were on vacation from Japan. We took a wrong turn and ended up here." Roppi glared at the window. "He's like you, deer in headlights, only instead of running away from the lights, he runs towards them. When we got here, I swerved my car to dodge one of those dogs and crashed it. Tsuki and I ran but got separated when everything turned to...hell. At least I can assume that was hell. When it got all dark and those monsters showed up." Roppi sighed. "He doesn't know how to defend himself. I've always been the one who defended him when he was being bullied. I've fought for him more times than I can count. He wouldn't have made it this far without me and now..."

Roppi looked at the window with a defeated expression.

"Is he fast?" Shizuo asked.

Roppi looked back at him as he cocked a brow. "Yeah. He was a track star."

"Then I'm sure he's okay. He can outrun a lot of these monsters easily."

"All it takes is one dead end."

Shizuo fell silent.

Roppi sighed heavily. "He's...probably dead—"

"Don't say that! You shouldn't give up so easily!"

"I'm not giving up! I'm being realistic! He's gone! Most-likely he got killed during the hell!" Roppi glared at the ground and hugged himself. "I"m not going to stop looking for him. I at least want to find his body."

"I'm sure he's alive."

Roppi glared up at him with complete hate. "Don't patronize me. The only reason  _I'm_ alive is because I ran into you."

"Yeah and those unforeseen circumstances are why you shouln't give up. My friend was in the school. If Tsuki was there then I'm sure my friend probably grabbed him."

"...Maybe."

"I'm sure he's alright. There is hope."

"Hope? Pssh, like I'm that desperate."

"That really—"

"I'm a realist, brat. I don't ride on false-hope."

"Brat—Hey, I'm older than you!"

"The hell you know my age?"

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-three."

"Ha! I"m twenty-four!"

Roppi rolled his eyes. "That's your way of showing your maturity?"

"Piss off!"

Shizuo's eyes widened. Deja vu hit him hard with this conversation. He was certain Izaya had said something similar...

" _That's your way of showing your intelligence?"_

And he had replied the same way only with a few punches added to it.

"...Hey—"

The conversation was interrupted by glass shattering. The two jumped and Roppi turned around to stare into the laundry room. One of the pterodactyl monsters had broken in, the thing screeching at them and landing on the ground. It hissed and began walking towards them.

"Shit, come on!" Shizuo grabbed Roppi's arm and pulled.

Roppi quickly turned and the two ran. They headed up the stairs, where they went to a room at the end of the hall. Roppi closed the door behind them then pulled a dresser in front of it.

Shizuo went straight to the window, moving the curtains and opening it. He peered out, relieved to see nothing in the backyard.

"Come on." Shizuo whispered, gesturing to Roppi to come over.

"Wait a sec." Roppi went to the closet.

"Iza—Roppi."

"There's a gun in here."

Shizuo's eyes widened before he rushed over.

Roppi sat knelt in the closet, a small metal safe in front of him. He tilted it up so he could look at it without lying on his stomach. Shizuo looked around before kneeling down on Roppi's left.

Roppi turned and punched his arm. "Don't think I didn't hear that."

Shizuo matched Roppi's glare. "Sorry."

"Sure thing, Tsuki."

Shizuo's glare narrowed. Roppi snorted and turned back to the gun case.

He stared at a four-place number lock. He tilted the case up more to peer underneath it, in hopes of a code but there was none.

"Hey, look around for some—"

"Yeah." Shizuo stood. "We can't take too long."

The blond began his search. In all honesty, he could easily break it open and most-likely not damage what's inside. The only reason he didn't was so Roppi wouldn't accuse him of being a monster. The last thing he wanted was for Roppi to turn a gun on him thinking he had to protect himself.

Shizuo tore apart the room, looking for a slip of paper. However, he found nothing. So he started to think.

_**'If I were to hide a code, it'd need to be inconspicuous. Where...?'** _

Shizuo let his eyes scanned the room. Where they fell on a picture frame.

_**'Maybe...'** _

He grabbed it, turned it over, and paused. He had thought that a slip of paper may be hiding behind the picture in the picture frame. However, that seemed to not be the case. There was a number drawn on the back of the frame with a black marker.

"...Huh..."

"What?"

Roppi looked over his shoulder, having been putting in random numbers till now. "Found it?"

Shizuo looked around the room, spotting three more family photos. "Maybe."

He rushed over to one and flipped it over. There was another number as he suspected. The next photo also had one, as well as the last. He grabbed all four of them and placed them on the dresser blocking the door.

"Okay. 0-2-0-4."

Roppi muttered the code as he put it in. "Nope."

"Hm." Shizuo stared at the photos.

Then noticed something. The photos themselves looked as if they were supposed to be one giant picture of the family, however it was cropped into four. Shizuo stared at them. Then rearranged the pictures so they looked to be in order. Once done, he flipped them over.

"Okay. Try 4-2-0-0."

"4-2..." Roppi muttered the code again. The lock clicked. "Got it."

Shizuo smiled.

But it soon fell away as something slammed against the door hard, shaking the dresser hard enough to make the picture frames fall.

"Shit, we've got to go!" Shizuo yelled.

"One second." Roppi grabbed a pistol—what kind Shizuo didn't know since this was the first time Shizuo had actually seen a real gun—and grabbed a box full of bullets.

Another slam to the door made Shizuo jump. He ran to the dresser and pressed himself to it while Roppi pulled the clip out of the butt of the gun.

"Hurry!" Shizuo yelled as the banging became more often and harder.

"Shut up! I'm trying!" Roppi grabbed a handful of bullets and began loading the clip.

A particularly hard slam forced Shizuo forward a few steps. He quickly pressed himself back to the dresser, however it was short-lived. Another hard slam sent Shizuo stumbling towards the bed, the dresser falling forward and the door flying open.

A strange looking monster stumbled in. It looked like a huge pair of mannequin legs without feet and instead of a torso, another pair of mannequin legs were connected by the hips. It stumbled forward on two legs slowly.

As Shizuo went to stand, one of the skinless dogs leaped towards him. His jaws spread to gnash, it aimed to grab Shizuo's throat. The blonds' reflexes kicked in fast and he raised his arm in defense. The dog sunk its teeth into Shizuo's forearm as tight as it could grip.

Before Shizuo could raise a hand to attack, a loud  **BANG!** went off. A hole appeared in the side of the dogs head as a bullet whizzed by. The dog let go and fell to the side.

Shizuo didn't give himself time to worry about the fact that Roppi didn't hesitate to shoot at him. Instead, he jumped up, grabbed Roppi by the arm and pulled him to the window.

"Wait! The other bullets!"

"No time!"

Shizuo lifted Roppi and tossed him over his shoulder.

"Hey!" Roppi protested.

"Keep your head down!" Shizuo ordered as he ran to the window.

Shizuo crossed an arm over his face before pile-driving through the glass and wood. Once in the open, Shizuo moved his arm to see where he was landing—which he landed on a small doghouse. He automatically pushed off and leaped over the fence, landing in the alley. He then wrapped his arms around Roppi and took off running.

* * *

Izaya groaned as he scrunched his eyes before opening them. His vision was bleary and he was extremely lightheaded. He was also thirsty. With another groan he raised himself up, rubbing his head.

Once he got his bearings, Izaya took a look around himself. He was lying in a bed, small and thin, with a curtain pulled around the perimeter of the metal frame.

_**'Am I in the nurses office...?'** _

Izaya checked himself to see if he was hurt or missing anything. Then paused when the door opened. The curtain blocked his view of who it was so he remained quiet as he looked around. There was a vase on the nightstand so he grabbed it, ready to attack. The person was now by Izaya's side on the other side of the curtain.

The curtain was pulled back.

Izaya swung.

The blond-haired person screamed in shock before raising his arms in defense.

Izaya stopped himself just in time.

"It's you." Izaya said as he pulled the vase back.

"I-I-I'm gl-glad to see yo-you're awake." The blond stuttered as he backed away, holding his chest.

"Sorry." Izaya said as he put the vase down.

"It-It's okay. I pro-probably wo-would have done the same."

Izaya stared the blond up and down before sighing. As he had thought, this person wasn't Shizuo. He was way too young to be Shizuo. This kid looked like he was no older than eighteen, with big red eyes and a giant scarf around his neck. He had a similar attire as Shizuo, with black pants, black vest and a white button-up shirt underneath, however it looked as if he was a natural blond with thick glasses on his face.

"I-I have wa-water." The blond said, reaching into a messenger bag that hung on his shoulder. He pulled out a blue water bottle.

"Where'd you get it?"

"I-I had it with me whe-when I got here. I-I have food, t-too." He reached into his bag and pulled out an American-brand bag of chips.

Izaya stared at him with suspicion but took the bottle and chips.

"Thanks."

"N-no problem." The blond sat on the bed and pulled out another bag of chips.

"So...what's your name?" Izaya asked as he opened the water bottle.

"I-I'm Tsuk-Tsukishima."

"Hm." Izaya took a generous chug of water, letting out a loud exhale in relief. "I'm Orihara Izaya."

"Ni-nice to meet you."

Izaya nodded. "So, what are you doing here? Are you a resident of Silent Hill?"

"No-no. Me-me and my...brother we-were here in A-America on va-vacation. We-we were he-heading to Brahms bu-but got lost and-and ended up he-here."

"Where's you brother?"

"...I...don't know. We-we got...separated."

"Hm." Izaya opened the bag of chips and began munching. "So I can safely assume you're from Japan."

"H-hai."

"Huh. Guess I'm not alone then." He muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. By the way, while you were in town, did you happen to come across a hotel?"

"Hotel?"

"Mm." Izaya pulled the object he had gotten from Collin the Janitor from his pocket and showed it to Tsuki. It was a key chain to a key. The corner was broken off but the letters 'tel' and half of an 'o' were visible. "I need to go to this hotel."

"Um, I-I think I saw one." Tsuki reached into his bag and pulled out a pamphlet. It was a map of the town, the same one Izaya had had before the armless man melted it away. He looked over the piece of paper then showed it to Izaya. "Here." He pointed to a spot on the map.

Izaya nodded once he saw the landmark then began charting a route to it. "We're still in the school, right?"

"Um-um, yes."

"Okay." Izaya finished off his chips, wiped off his hands, then stood.

"Wh-where—"

"To the hotel, of course."

"Bu-but!" Tsuki grabbed Izaya's arm. Izaya glared down at him. "Y-your throat is ba-badly bruised. I-I don't think you should walk around just yet."

"So, you want me to stay here and wait for the Darkness to come back?"

"N-n-no. But-but..."

"Look, I don't know how long I was asleep but I don't have time to sit around. I have to find someone and they're in that hotel. So—"

"Bu-but if your thro-throat swells up and you suffocate then-then you're not hel-helping anyone."

Izaya only glared at him.

"L-look." Tsuki took the map. "The-the hospital is-is on the way. Le-let's stop there and—"

"No fucking way. I'm not getting butchered by nurses."

"Th-there should be no-no one there—"

"The nurses are monsters. And I know for a  _fact_ they are in the hospital, regardless of time."

"...St-still, we-we may be able to find an-an epipen."

"Epipens are for allergies."

"But they also open the airway. Kids with asthma ha-have epipens."

"Asthma and strangulation are not the same."

"Still! It'll he-help. Please?" Tsuki's grip on Izaya's arms tightened. "Wha-what if you die?"

He wanted to argue that going to a nurse-infested place would be more detrimental to his health than strangulation. However, he did have a point. He could feel how swollen his throat was without even touching it and he knew how the process of strangulation-healing worked. No doubt his throat would swell completely shut—like any wound does—to try and fix the broken blood vessels and crushed muscles.

Izaya sighed heavily. "Alright, fine. I'll go."

Tsuki brightened. "Thank goodness."

Izaya rolled his eyes then pulled his arm away. Tsuki scurried off the bed after him, which made Izaya pause.

"Are you going to follow me?" the raven asked.

"U-um...well, I...I don't...want to be alone..."

Izaya sighed heavily, but understood. "Okay, fine."

Tsuki brightened again. Izaya rolled his eyes as well before they headed out the door.

_**'Lucky him the sun is hidden by the fog. Albino's like him would get burnt in an instant.'** _

"Give me the map." Izaya said one they were outside.

"Oh, um, he-here." Tsuki held it out to him.

Izaya took it, opened it, and charted a new course.

By twenty minutes, they were in front of the hospital—coming across no monsters, luckily. Izaya stared up at the ominous building, feeling fear prick at his spine.

"Listen." Izaya turned to Tsuki. "The monsters that are in here are literally nurses. But these ones will kill you rather than save you. Stay close to me and don't make loud noises. Got it?"

"O-okay."

With that said, Izaya grabbed Tsuki's hand and headed inside. Izaya slowly opened the front door, the metal scraping and echoing down the hall.

 _ **'Jeez.'**_ Izaya glowered as he slunk inside. He held the door open for Tsuki, who rushed inside. Izaya closed the door just as slow, the echo deafening.

"We're only looking on the first floor, got it?" Izaya whispered.

Tsuki nodded.

The two turned and Izaya took note that the strange cross that was at the school was bricked into the floor in front of them. He cocked a brow, beginning to think this cross actually meant something more.

_**'This cross being at the school made me think it was a Christian school. But hospitals usually don't have a basis of religion. Why would this be here?'** _

"Orihara-san?" Tsuki whispered in question.

Izaya looked up at him and simply nodded, deciding not to explain his thought process to someone who probably wouldn't understand. He then went towards the operation desk in front of them, pulling Tsuki along. Izaya let the blond go then began checking the cabinets while Tsuki checked the drawers.

"Hey." Tsuki whispered. Izaya turned to him. Tsuki held up a first aid kit.

"Is there anything in it?" Izaya asked.

Tsuki put it on the table and opened it, exposing bandages, gauze, and a CPR mask. The bandages and gauze were in plastic wrappings so they were usable but the CPR mask was covered in dirt and grime. And there was no epipen.

Tsuki grabbed the gauze and bandages and put them in his bag then put the first aid kit back. The search continued. By the end, Izaya found nothing in the cabinets and Tsuki was also unproductive.

Izaya did not want to go into rooms where they could easily get trapped. However, the tightness in his throat told him to risk it.

They went into the first room. Izaya slowly opened the door, relieved to find nothing. He gestured for Tsuki to follow. The two entered the room, where they began ransacking. Again, they found nothing.

"I'm gonna check this room." Izaya said, pointing to the door adjoining two rooms.

"Okay, I'll look around a bit more."

"Don't leave this room."

"Okay."

Izaya went over to the door. Opening it slowly, he, again, peered in before entering. Seeing nothing, he went inside. The curtain around the bed was pulled so half the room was hidden but nothing stirred on the other side to his noise so he decided he was okay. He checked the cabinets, finding nothing again.

_**'Jeez, this whole thing is starting to feel pointless.'** _

Izaya sighed before he turned and pulled the curtain back.

Automatically, he froze in fear.

Two nurses stood in front of him, one of them twitching. When he opened the curtain, they both had let out a moan and turned towards him. Their faces were wrapped in dark bandages—most-likely soaked in someone else's blood—so there was no way they could see him. But he knew they didn't need eyes to find him. Every one of their senses were heightened, even sensitivity to light. They couldn't physically see him, which was why they stood in place without moving, but all it took was a flash of light or noise to get them to move again.

He slowly stepped back, looking where he was stepping so as not to crunch on anything. He looked back up when one twitched, however it didn't move from its place.

"Orihara-san!" Tsuki's voice echoed through the door.

Izaya stiffened as the nurses moaned They took a withering step towards the direction of the voice—which was coming from behind Izaya.

"Orihara-san!" Tsuki pushed through the door. "I found some—mm!"

Izaya grabbed Tsuki and covered his mouth. Tsuki pulled on Izaya's hand then stiffened when he saw what was in the room. The nurses have moved uncomfortably close. One more step and they'd be close enough to swing. Izaya stared down at their hands. One had scissors, the other had a scalpel. And Izaya knew just how sharp those instruments were.

Izaya held Tsuki close as he stepped back towards the door, slowly, slowly, slowly. Tsuki held Izaya tightly, his form shaking. Izaya glanced down to see he looked absolutely terrified.

 _ **'And with good reason.'**_ Izaya thought bitterly.

Izaya's back pressed against the wall, making the raven jump in surprise. He let Tsuki go so he could open the door. He pulled it open, gestured for Tsuki to go through then quickly followed afterwards. The door slammed shut, Izaya seeing through the glass window that the nurses had rushed forward to the sound. But once the echo passed, they were again still.

Izaya let out the breath he had been holding. Then looked up and glared at Tsuki. The blond flinched.

"Why the fuck were you yelling? Are you just naturally stupid or are you trying to get us killed?" Izaya growled, keeping his voice low.

"I-I'm sorry. I-I-I found some-something that mi-might be important."

"So you had to announce it to the world?"

"I'm sorry." Tears welded in Tsuki's eyes. "I'm sorry."

Izaya rolled his eyes. "Whatever, what'd you find?"

"Uh, um...th-this." Tsuki reached into his bag and pulled out two objects—an epipen and a VCR tape.

Izaya cocked a brow at the VCR tape. "Why is that important?"

Tsuki jolted. "I-I-I just thought—"

Something slammed against the door, making them jolt. One of the nurses had its face pressed to the glass.

"Come on!" Izaya grabbed Tsuki's arm and rushed out of the room.

They ran straight out the door without looking back. Once they were nearly a block away, Izaya stopped to look around them. There was no monsters in sight and no doubt the nurses wouldn't leave the hospital. They were safe for now.

"He-here, Orihara-san." Tsuki held out the epipen.

Izaya was aware he was huffing more than he needed to be after only a short jog.

"Again, I don't know if this'll work," Izaya stated.

"It-it won't hurt to try."

Izaya sighed but took the pen-shaped instrument and pulled off the cap. Before he could stop to think about it, he stabbed it into his thigh.

"Agh! Ow!"

"I-I'm sorry." Tsuki said, reaching forward to grab Izaya's arm.

Izaya just groaned as he pulled the needle out and tossed it to the side.

"So, what's so important about the tape?"

"I...just thought—"

"Hand it over."

Tsuki obeyed.

Izaya glared at the blond then looked down. Automatically his attitude changed when he saw the masking tape that labeled the front.

_'Alessa Gillepsie log 4'_

"We need to find a TV."

* * *

"What the hell?" Shizuo huffed, holding Roppi's hand as they sat pressed against a wall of an alley. "How do they keep finding us?"

"Ssh, ssh!" Roppi said, putting a finger to his lips before looking around.

He quickly pressed himself to the wall as two of the dogs and a pterodactyl ran by.

Once they passed, the two let out a sigh of relief.

"Let's get inside." Roppi said before turning down a side alley. "I think I know why they're finding us."

"Really?"

Roppi nodded but gestured for silence as they crept up to a backdoor. Roppi tugged but couldn't get it open. He tugged again, where it grind against the metal but was still stuck. Shizuo looked around. Where he saw an open window three stories up.

"Hey."

"What?!" Roppi growled in annoyance.

"Come here."

"Wha—"

Shizuo pointed to the window then turned and knelt down, holding his arms out behind him.

"Get on my back." The blond said.

"You've got to be—" Roppi's words fell off when trashcans clattered down the main alley.

Deciding they had no time to argue, Roppi hopped onto Shizuo's back. The blond quickly stood and rushed over under the window.

"Hold on tight."

With that said, Shizuo jumped up. He grabbed onto the ledge of the second story window. Without hesitation, he pulled himself up, propelling himself upward. He hooked his elbows inside the open window and pulled himself up so his head—and Roppi's head—were in.

"Here, go." Shizuo said.

Roppi obeyed, sliding forward into the room over Shizuo.

"Don't lift your head." Roppi said when he was midway over Shizuo.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Shizuo chuckled, praying the thing poking his head was Roppi's belt buckle.

Once the raven was all the way in, he turned and pulled on Shizuo's arm till the blond was also in. The two now both inside, Shizuo turned and closed the window.

"You do that hardcore parkour shit, huh?"

"Parkour?" Shizuo looked confused.

Roppi sighed. "Never mind."

He stood, followed by Shizuo—who cast him a quick glare.

"We should be safe for now." Roppi said.

"Then explain how they keep finding us."

"Don't tell me what to do."

The two shared a glare.

"If we're going to travel together then we're going to need a bit of trust here. We keep butting heads, we're dead."

"'Travel together'? I don't need to travel with you."

"...Fine then. Let's go our separate ways."

"Wh—" Roppi's eyes widened.

"So you want to stay together?"

"..." Roppi opened his mouth to reply, his cheeks beginning to turn red.

_**'Damn he has so much pride. How is he not Izaya?'** _

"Just...explain. Please." Shizuo said.

The raven glared at the ground before looking up and sighing.

"That thing, back during the hell. The one on the roof."

"Yeah?"

"That stuff it puked up didn't burn us." Roppi walked over and knelt down. He pulled on Shizuo's pant leg, exposing bright green spots on his black fabric. "I think it's letting out a pheromone."

"One that the monsters can follow?"

"That's my theory." Roppi stood. "We need to get rid of our clothes."

"...Are there any in here?"

Roppi looked over at the broken, empty dresser. "I doubt it. Someone ransacked this place long ago." He looked back at Shizuo. "Do you have a map?"

Shizuo reached into his pocket and pulled out the folded up map. Roppi took it, unfolded it, and opened it. He scanned the paper before turning back to the blond.

"Here." He pointed. "There's a mall in this town. We could get clothes there."

"Wouldn't that be the first place people would loot?"

"Unless everyone figured that, too, so they wouldn't bother."

Shizuo nodded in understanding.

"So we heading that way?"

Shizuo opened his mouth to answer. However, his reply was interrupted as something hard slammed against the door. The two looked at each other then at the door.

"Should we find out what that is?" Roppi asked.

A loud hiss turned into a horrifying screech.

"Nope." Shizuo grabbed Roppi and rushed to the window. Roppi hopped onto Shizuo's back before the blond jumped out the window. "You'll need to guide me."

"Got it." Roppi said as Shizuo turned, grabbed the window sill and propelled himself up to the ceiling. "Go right."

Shizuo obeyed.

* * *

Izaya looked around the corner, relieved to see nothing. Across the street was a radio and television store—exactly what he needed.

"Come on." Izaya rushed across the street with Tsuki's hand in his own.

The two ran around a police car that sat in front of the store. Izaya was the first to reach the door handle and pulled.

"Shit. Locked." Izaya cursed.

The two looked around—Izaya looking for a way to open the door while Tsuki was looking for monsters. Izaya let go of Tsuki's hand and rushed over to a trashcan. Tsuki watched him with confusion. The raven grabbed the metal handle, pulled it to the window, and huffed to lift it. He spun the trashcan around twice before letting it go. It slammed into the glass, shattering it completely. Tsuki jolted and shielded his face.

"Come on." Izaya said before hopping onto the table under the window cill.

Tsuki hesitated but followed, nonetheless.

The two now inside, Izaya went over to the closet TV with a built-in VCR and checked to see if it worked. He pressed every button but there was no reaction. He clicked his tongue then went onto the next. The next, however, gave the same reaction—nothing. He cursed. He went on to the next.

The sound of static suddenly filled the room. Tsuki jumped while Izaya's eyes widened. He turned around, seeing the white light shining from two aisles over. Izaya felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

_**'Is there something in here?'** _

Izaya cautiously took a step towards the TV. Tsuki grabbed his arm. The raven looked at him. Tsuki shook his head, looking terrified. Izaya patted his hands reassuringly before pulling his arm away.

Izaya headed for the TV, slowly and cautiously, Tsuki following closely. Once by the aisle, he peeked around the corner. There was no one there. He took in a deep breath before stepping in front of the static screen. He looked the electronic over, shocked and confused to see the TV wasn't plugged in but had a plug-in cord. Izaya smacked the top of the TV to see if it was just a glitch. The screen still showed bright.

Izaya looked back at Tsuki who was half-hiding behind the shelf with fear in his red eyes. The raven held his hand out to him. The blond looked even more scared but he reached into his bag and pulled out the VCR tape. He held it out to Izaya, who took it and turned back to the TV. He pulled the tape into the slot. The TV made a whirring sound as it registered the tape then the static faded out as an image faded in.

A woman appeared on the screen. She was blond, American with a red jacket over a white nurse outfit. She sat down at the end of the table, where she put her arms on it, bent them up and pressed the back of her hands to her forehead in a defeated pose.

" _What is it? Still has an unusually high fever. Eyes don't open...getting a pulse...But just barely breathing. Her skin is all charred! Even when I change the bandages, the blood and puss just start oozing through! Why? What is keeping that child alive? I...can't stand it any longer...I won't tell a soul...promise. So please..."_

The tape ended, the VCR tape being ejected out.

 _ **'Her skin...is charred...'**_ Izaya's eyes narrowed.  ** _'She had to have been talking about Alessa since her names on the tape.'_** Izaya began to think, holding his chin in thought.  _ **'If Alessa was burned then that would explain why my dreams are constantly filled with fire. Comparing the darkness from my dreams to this darkness, mine are much worst. Hm.'**_

Izaya's foot tapped.

_**'Something's missing here. People get caught in house fire's all the time and don't end up in a personal hell. So the question is why is Alessa special?...Actually, what even starts the darkness? Who controls it?...What if...the psychic was right?'** _

"O...Orihara-san?"

"What if Alessa really is a demon?"

"Eh?"

A loud slam interrupted Izaya's thought. The two jumped as they turned to the source. An armless man came stumbling in, followed by a skinless dog. The armless man had knocked over a large TV in his wanky walk but he payed it no mind as he continued walking.

"Come on!" Izaya grabbed Tsuki.

"Wai—the tape!"

"We don't need it anymore! Run!"

Tsuki didn't argue.

The two ran out of the store through their broken window.

However, they didn't make it far as Izaya stopped.

"Wha—" Tsuki started.

Izaya was looking in the cop car intensely. Then he pulled on the door handle.

"Orihara-san!" Tsuki yelled as the door opened with ease.

Izaya was certain he had seen something very useful. And low and behold, he was right. A magnum pistol sat on the floor on the passenger side. Lying over the seat he grabbed it and quickly checked to see if it was loaded. To his satisfaction it was, with five bullets.

"ORIHARA-SAN!" Tsuki yelled, a dog barking furiously.

Izaya scurried backwards out of the car. Once standing, he reloaded the gun while Tsuki pulled on his arm.

"We have to go!"

Izaya then turned, with Tsuki's wrist in one hand and the gun in the other, and ran.

* * *

Kasuka lied on the bed, just staring at the wall. Shinra was currently on the phone outside. He was talking to Shiki about their unsuccessful search and the fact that they would be coming home empty handed. Celty was also outside, preparing Shooter for the long ride home. Ruri sat on the bed by Kasuka, not sure what she should be doing.

"Kasuka-san..." Ruri started, scooting closer. "I know nothing I can say will help but is there anything you need? Or want?"

"No."

Ruri didn't know what else to say. So she scooted closer until they were touching.

"I..." Kasuka started. "I at least...wanted to find his body."

Saying that was the last drop of water needed to break the floodgates. Kasuka's form began to shake as he started to cry, his sobs silent except for the occasional sniffle. Ruri stiffened. She had never seen Kasuka cry and had no clue what to do. But she did have an idea. She scooted closer and rested herself over Kasuka, resting her head on his shoulder and hugging him. Kasuka shifted his arm just enough to grab Ruri's hand. He squeezed it tight for comfort. The room was filled with silence, the only noise being Kasuka's soft sobs.

 


	17. Chapter 15: Won't You Protect Me?

Shizuo panted as he stood outside the mall, the building tall and ominous. Roppi still sat on his back, holding Shizuo tightly.

“Good job.” Roppi patted Shizuo’s chest.

“Th-thanks. _Hah hah_ …”

Shizuo caught his breath for only a moment longer before rushing to the front door. He pushed through them without hesitation, the two glass doors swinging shut behind him. Roppi had his gun at the ready, using Shizuo’s shoulder as a rest to stabilize his arm.

There was nothing in the mall, monster-wise anyway. The lobby was empty of living creatures, dead plants and benches scattered everywhere.

Roppi tapped Shizuo’s shoulder while kicking one of his legs. Shizuo put him down. The two hesitated before stepping in more.

Shizuo turned on his flashlight once they reached the center of the lobby—the dim glow shining through the windows and doors unable to reach that far in. He shined his light around in front of them so they could see where they were walking.

“It’s cold in here.” Roppi noted.

“…It’s a big building. A place like this is bound to be cold.”

“No, I mean…Is there a breeze?”

Shizuo stopped walking. “…Yeah, there is.”

The blond shined his light in the direction the breeze was coming from. His eye widened.

Three giant tunnels, all of them reaching right under the floor of the second story, completely devouring the left side of the building. The escalators and any shops that were there were destroyed and gone. There were no holes leading out of the building and no light shined through the holes so whatever reason these were there, they were only within the mall. Shizuo turned to see there were three matching tunnels on his right, none shining light or leading outside.

“What the hell?” Shizuo voiced.

“You think it’s a monster?”

“God, I hope not.”

Shizuo shined his light around, looking for a way up to the second floor. He spotted an elevator farther down the lobby in the middle of the walkway with a staircase spiraling up around the shaft. Shizuo definitely wasn’t going to suggest the elevator but the stairs looked to be intact.

“Roppi, over the—”

The floor began to rumble. Their eyes widened and they quickly looked around. Roppi moved closer to Shizuo as the rumbling got louder and closer.

Then it became deafeningly loud as a huge worm came out of one of the tunnels. Luckily it came out of the one Shizuo was shining his light on. So, he had enough time to react. Seeing a giant, fleshy worm heading straight towards them, Shizuo automatically grabbed Roppi and tackled him to the ground behind a bench to the left of them. The worm rushed by toward the corresponding tunnel.

Shizuo breathed out a sigh of relief. They were safe.

At least until Roppi sat up and pointed his gun at the departing worm.

“Don’t!” Shizuo yelled.

Roppi fired three shots. All three imbedded into the worm. The fleshy creature screeched in pain before disappearing in the tunnel.

“What are you doing?!” Shizuo yelled, pulling Roppi’s arm. “It wasn’t after us!”

“You don’t know that!”

“It was heading in a straight line! I doubt it even saw u—”

A loud roar echoed down the middle tunnel, making the two jump. A strange sound followed, a sound similar to rushing water.

“Run.” Shizuo said.

Shizuo grabbed Roppi’s arm and pulled him to his feet before running towards the stair case. Not even a second after they were clear, the worm shot out with its circular jaw full of teeth open and biting. It devoured the bench. Then roared and turned toward the two running humans.

“Go, go!” Shizuo yelled, pushing Roppi up the stairs.

Roppi didn’t need to be told that. He was already half way up the stairs with Shizuo close on his heels.

The stairs shook as the worm slammed into it. The only reason it didn’t go straight through was due to the elevator. The two humans fell over, grabbing onto the railing so as not to fall off. Roppi turned to look at Shizuo.

“Keep—” Shizuo started but was uninterrupted by the staircase jolting.

The worm had the beginning of the staircase in its mouth and was pulling on it. The elevator shaft was the only reason the staircase didn’t come down. However, the stairs separated three steps up from Shizuo so Roppi was no longer shaking but Shizuo was in danger. With every pull, the metal beams of the shaft caved in. One of which had broken finally and caused the staircase Shizuo sat on to pull away from Roppi’s by a notable distance.

“Jump!” Roppi yelled.

Shizuo pushed himself to his feet, holding onto the railing tightly, and rushed up the steps.

 Just as he was about to push off, another beam snapped. The staircase shifted precariously to the side. The gap between Shizuo and Roppi was now a significant distance.

Shizuo jumped anyway. And never before had he felt so grateful for his inhuman strength than now. Because he was able to push off hard, he was able to reach the last step of the upper staircase. His legs dangled off but with him and Roppi pulling, they were easily able to pull him up.

“You okay?” Roppi asked.

Shizuo nodded quickly then stood. “Come on!”

The two rushed up the steps, making it to the second floor with no issue now. As they reached the top, the lower staircase was pulled away. The worm devoured it without a second thought.

Roppi glared down at it and pointed the gun.

“No!” Shizuo whispered with a growl as he reached forward.

He grabbed Roppi’s wrist from behind so the gun was pointed upward. And to keep Roppi from yelling, Shizuo covered his mouth with his other hand and pressed the raven’s back to his own chest.

Roppi struggled, pulling on the hand over his mouth with his free hand.

“Ssh, ssh! Look!” Shizuo whispered. “It can’t find us.”

The worm was twitching its head back and forth as if sniffing the air. Its head turned left and right before it began moving backwards towards the tunnels.

Shizuo decided not to let go if Roppi in case he decided to shoot off again. So, Shizuo—with Roppi still in his grip—slowly walked backwards towards one of the many stores. Shizuo pushed through the door with his back then turned around and let Roppi go.

Roppi automatically turned and punched Shizuo in the chest.

“Bitch, don’t manhandle me!”

“Then don’t point that gun around like it’s a fucking toy!” Shizuo yelled. “You nearly got us killed! From now on, think before you leap!”

Roppi opened his mouth to retort but nothing came out. So instead he just glared at him. Then huffed and turned away. The raven shoved the gun in his coat pocket.

Shizuo rolled his eyes before looking around himself. They were in a bakery, loafs of bread scattering everywhere. No doubt none of them were edible so Shizuo decided to not waste his time.

“Come on.” Shizuo said. “Let’s find clothes.”

“There could be food.”

“I doubt it. Bakery goods need to be fresh to be edible.”

“…Alright.”

The two left the bakery behind. The store to the right was a sporting good store. On of the other side of the mini-lobby was women’s wares, jewelry, and an electronic store. The stores formed a U shape so Shizuo couldn’t see what store was on the corner farthest from them. However, the curve that was closest were visible.

“We should split up.” Roppi said. “I’ll go down that hall,” He pointed to the farthest curve.

“No, no. We should stick together. Who knows what’s in here.”

“It’ll be faster if we split up. We don’t know when the hell will be back.”

“More reason to stick together. The hell changes the layout. If it comes while we’re separated, we may not be able to reunite.”

“Then we should act fast—”

“I don’t want to take the chance. “Shizuo said. “Let’s just stick together.”

Roppi rolled his eyes. ‘Oh my god. Fine.”

Shizuo glared at him. **_‘He’s so fucking annoying. More annoying than the fucking flea.’_**

Roppi turned down the hall closet to them and walked. Shizuo followed.

On their left was three shops—game store, toy store, and a coffee shop. On the right was another sporting good store, a candy shop, and an antique shop. The U ended, the wall of the building blocking their way. There was a fire escape but both agreed they didn’t need that now. So, they turned back.

“If we had split up, we’d be in a men’s store right now.”

“Oh my god, Roppi, shut up.”

“Don’t fucking tell me to shut up!” Roppi yelled.

“Don’t yell!”

“ _You_ don’t yell!”

“For fuck—”

A roar from the lobby interrupted them. They both became extremely quiet extremely fast and stood still. The sound of rushing water came again. They listened closely to know where it was heading. No surprise, it was heading towards them.

“Go.” Shizuo whispered, making a gesture with his arm.

Roppi was slow to do so but do so he did. He turned and went around the corner to the other side of the U. Shizuo followed just as slowly.

They headed into the first shop they could reach—which was an outdoors store. The door closed behind them.

“Stop trying to start fights!” Shizuo automatically yelled. “You don’t help the situation!”

“Stop telling me what to do!”

“I’m not _trying_ to! I’m trying to keep us alive!”

“Just shut the fuck up! I’m not your bitch, Izaya!”

Shizuo snapped.

* * *

 

Izaya pulled Tsuki into an alley. Three dogs ran by without taking notice in them. Across the street was the hotel they were looking for. Izaya looked both ways to see if there were any monsters then rushed across with Tsuki in tow.

The two pushed through the doors no problem and quickly closed them. Izaya looked out the window on the door to see if anything spotted them, which he was relieved to see nothing had. Then he turned to look at the lobby they were in.

The first thing he noticed was the strange cross—the same one from the school and hospital—on the floor. It was illuminated by a window, as if it was put there specifically to shine on the cross. Izaya stared down at it.

“Wh-what’s wrong?” Tsuki asked.

“Do you know what this cross means?”

“Eh?”

“This cross was at the school. Then the hospital. Now here. It’s got to mean something.”

“ _It means death._ ”

The two jolted as a woman’s voice spoke. Izaya turned to face the lobby fully, pulling out his gun and pointing it straight.

A hunched over figure in black robes walked into sight.

“ _Don’t move!_ ” Izaya cocked the gun, Tsuki holding onto his shirt in fear.

The thing stopped, then looked up at them. Izaya was shocked to see it was a woman. Ragged and frazzled but a human woman with no deformities or seeping fluids. He could see that even with her gray hair draping over most of her face.

“ _Who are you?_ ” Izaya sked in English.

“ _…Another stranger to this place. Another person who is not one of them. Another lost child who has stumbled into the basilisk’s den.”_

“ _Another? One of who? Who_ are _you?_ ”

The woman stared up at him, her pale lips cracking a small smile.

“ _You do not speak in foreign tongue. You will be able to know the liars voice._ ”

“ _What are you talking about?_ ”

 “ _Do not listen to the liars._ ” She began walking around the cross. “ _They will deceive you. Like they deceived me._ ”

“ _Who are the liars?_ ” Izaya stared at the cross. “ _Are they the ones who put this cross everywhere?_ ”

She nodded. “ _It is a sign of their faith. They’re dark, dark faith. Their faith blinded me. Blinded me into believing they could fight sin. But fire only blackens, not purifies._ ”

“ _Fire? What does fire have to do with them?_ ”

“Or-Orihara-san…” Tsuki pulled on his arm.

Izaya looked over his shoulder at him. Tsuki looked terrified. But he wasn’t staring at her. He was staring at his gun.

“I…I don’t think she’s dangerous.”

Izaya glowered at him.

“ _Strange._ ” The woman said, drawing their attention back to her. “ _You are new to me. You resemble the other lost child._ ”

“… _Other lost—Shizu-chan?_ ” Izaya’s eyes widened in realization. He put the gun down and rushed toward her. “ _You’ve seen Shizu-chan?_ ”

The woman flinched away.

“ _A blond like him? You’ve seen him?_ ” He pointed to Tsuki.

“… _Blood was the color of his hair. There was no sun in his follicles._ ”

“ _Right. He was covered in blood. Where’d you see him?_ ”

“ _…The darkness…_ ”

“ _You saw him during the darkness…_ ” Izaya began to deflate. “ _So, you haven’t seen him recently?_ ”

She shook her head.

Izaya’s shoulder’s slumped. “So, I was the last to see him…”

**_‘Shizu-chan…’_ **

Izaya sighed heavily.

**_‘No, don’t get discouraged. This is Shizu-chan. He’s alive. He’s somewhere in Silent Hill. I just have to find him.’_ **

“ _So, tell me, lady, what do you know about Alessa Gillespie?_ ”

Grief automatically crossed her expression. Izaya cocked a brow in surprise.

“ _She’s mine…_ ”

“ _Yours? Your…grandchild? Daughter? Niece? What?_ ”

“ _They took her from me. They did horrible things to her. My daughter. They blackened my daughter._ ”

“ _Blackened?_ ”

It began to click then. Her mention of fire and the tape from earlier.

“ _Did they burn Alessa?_ ”

The grief that cascaded over the woman’s face was heart wrenching.

“ _They deceived me. They made me believe they were fighting sin. But they lied. They lied!_ ”

The woman suddenly rushed forward, grabbing Izaya’s shirt and pulling him close.

“ _They took my daughter from me! In the name of their god, they blackened her! They are liars! They are deceivers! If you look for sanctuary with them they will drag you to hell with them! They’ll only blacken you, as well!_ ”

“ _Let go of me!_ ”

Izaya grabbed her hands and pulled them, forcing her to release. He then shoved her, grabbed Tsuki and ran past. Once a safe distance away, Izaya cocked his gun and pointed it at the downed woman.

“Or-Orihara-san…” Tsuki gripped Izaya’s outstretched arm.

The woman looked up at him. The enraged madness was gone, replaced with grief and complacency. She then stood.

“ _If you let them deceive you, they’ll swallow you in fire._ ” She turned and headed to the door, looking over her shoulder. “ _Their sin is what keeps them here. And here they will stay until they get what they deserve._ ”

She opened the door but stopped.

“ _Do not let their sin become yours._ ”

With that, she finally left.

Izaya released the breath he was holding in and lowered the gun, uncocking and pocketing it.

“Who was that?”

“Her name is Dahlia.”

Izaya’s eyes widened and he looked down at Tsuki. He wasn’t expecting to get an answer to that question. What’s more he wasn’t expecting to see such grief in Tsuki’s eyes.

“Dahlia Gillespie. The one person who won’t be touched by the darkness.”

Izaya coked a brow as he stared at Tsuki.

**_‘How does he know that? Wait—are his eyes glowing?’_ **

“Tsuki.”

The blond jolted, turning to stare at Izaya with that dumb, innocent expression he naturally had. “Ye-yes?”

Izaya stared at those blood red eyes, scrutinizing them.

**_‘Did I imagine that?’_ **

“…Let’s…start looking around.” The raven suggested before turning around to do just that.

“O-okay.”

The blond turned away from him to go look by the front desk. Izaya glanced over his shoulder at the albino with narrowed eyes.

**_‘I’ll have to keep an eye on him to make sure. Last thing I want is for him to go berserk and attack me.'_ **

* * *

 

Roppi lied panting underneath Shizuo. The dyed-red blond sat on the raven’s stomach, also panting. His cheek hurt and he was certain his hand might have broken bones in it. But he knew Roppi was far worse than him. The raven’s left eye was staring to swell, his cheek was split and his hand was most-likely also broken.

The blond was not expecting Roppi to try matching his strength. Instead of running, the raven simply dodged and threw his own punches—which is why Shizuo was near certain he broke his hand on his cheek. Roppi even managed to grab Shizuo’s hand and slammed the gun against it. He had heard something snap but—of course—Shizuo didn’t feel it but he could only assume it had come from his hand. And not only did he use that gun to break Shizuo’s hand, he had then pistol-whipped him in the face—which is why Shizuo’s face hurt. But that was all Roppi was able to do before Shizuo punched him down and got on top of him. The blond gave Roppi a good two punches to the face before he finally regained control of himself.

Amazingly, the raven was still conscious and didn’t seem to be falling unconscious anytime soon. Which, by Shizuo’s standards, was extremely impressive. But ultimately, Roppi lost the fight.

“Are you calm now?” Shizuo grumbled.

“…Fuck off. Don’t gloat.”

“I’m not gloating.” Shizu shook out his hand. “Are you done picking fights?”

The raven only gritted his teeth.

Shizuo sighed. **_‘Guess it’s too much to ask for him to swallow his pride.’_**

“Truce?” Shizuo asked as he stood up and offered his hand.

Roppi glared at the offering and pushed himself up. “Whatever, let’s go.”

Shizuo rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

Roppi kept a good distance away from Shizuo as they left the store and continued their search for men’s wear.

And to their annoyance, there was a man’s wear store right across from them.

“For fu~ck’s, sake.” Roppi moaned.

“You said it.” Shizuo sighed.

They entered the store, relieved to see that there was plenty of clothes. The two separated to look for clothes in their size.

However, Shizuo was confused when he looked at the tag and saw it said ‘M’ and the brand.

“Um…Hey, Roppi.”

“What?”

“What size are these?”

“Read the tag.” Roppi took off his shirt and grabbed a black long sleeve similar to what he had.

“I did. I don’t understand it.”

“So, you came to America without knowing the national measurements?”

“Sh-shut up.”

Roppi rolled his eyes and walked over. He grabbed the shirt Shizuo had and yanked it from the blonds hands.

“This is a medium. What’s your size?” The raven looked through the shirts.

“I’m a 42*.”

“…And that means…?”

“Extra large.”

“Pfft, you’re fucking fat.”

Shizuo glared at him. “I’m tall.”

“Mm-hm.” Roppi sneered as he grabbed a white button up shirt. “Then you’re a large by American standards.”

He held it out to Shizuo.

“…Thanks.”

“I’m assuming your waist size is probably between 81 and 91 so…”

“I’m an 87.”

“That makes you a large so…” He pulled out a pair of blue jeans. “Here. Those should fit.”

“Thanks.”

Roppi only grunted as he turned and went back to his search for clothes. Shizuo made sure the raven’s back was to him before he began to strip. He would prefer a dressing room but he really didn’t want to take the chance of discovering a dead body. He took off his vest and shirt first, extremely displeased that his flesh under the shirt was tied red. He shook his new shirt out to get the dust off and put it on.

**_‘I’m sorry, Kasuka. The clothes you gave me were ruined again.’_ **

Shizuo sighed at that thought while he pulled on his belt. He flicked off his shoes before he let his pants drop. His underwear was completely soaked, as well, creating a very uncomfortable feeling against his genitals. He groaned and quickly looked around. He spotted some packaged underwear on a rack next to him. He reached over, grabbed a bag that said large, and tugged it open. He took off his soiled boxers and, using a clean one, wiped himself down. He then grabbed a second pair and pulled them on.

His socks were also in a similar state as his boxers, completely red. He had been ignoring the squishing sensation he felt whenever he took a step but now he decided he needed new shoes and socks.

Once his new pants were on, he turned to Roppi.

“Hey, do you see any socks—”

Shizuo cut himself off when he made eye contact with Roppi’s pale white ass. The blond blushed and quickly turned around.

“Why are you changing your underwear?”  Shizuo yelled.

“Hah? I’m not.”

“Wha—why are you naked then?!”

“…Why are you looking at my ass?”

“I wanted to ask—”

“I know Japan is into faggots but I’m not like that. A man can go commando as much as he pleases.”

“I’m not like that either!” Shizuo yelled. “Are there any socks over there?! That’s what I wanted to ask!”

“Oh.” Roppi was silent for a moment. Then: “Yeah, there are. And some shoes. You like Nike’s, right?”

“Sure…?” Shizuo didn’t know what Nike’s were.

“Koy.” The blond heard the rustling of pants before Roppi said. “You can turn around now.”

Shizuo cautiously looked over his shoulder first. Seeing the raven was completely clothed, he turned fully around. He walked over as Roppi grabbed a bag of socks. He tore it open and tossed him a pair. Shizuo grabbed them and peeled his socks off. They stuck to his feet and his toes were sticking together due to blood.

“Ew, ew, ew.” The blond moaned.

“Here.” Roppi held out his discharged shirt.

“Thank you.”

Shizuo wiped off his foot attentively, removing all the stickiness he could. Once done, he put on his sock and started on his other.

Now completely done, Roppi pointed Shizuo to the shoes to let him pick them up. The blond picked a pair of black tennis shoes with a white checkmark on the side. He laced them up, tied them off, and stood.

“Now, let’s get out of here.” Shizuo said, reaching over and grabbing Izaya’s coat.

“Leave that. It might have the pheromones on them.”

“No. It’s Izaya’s.”

“It’s fucking pointless to get new clothes if you keep that!”

“I’m not getting rid of it! It’s not mine to throw away!”

“Are you fucking stupid?!”

“Stop yelling!”

“There you go, telling me what to do again!”

“Then stop fucking yelling!”

“No! You’re stupid as fuck! This whole trip was fucking pointless!”

“It wasn’t pointless! There aren’t any pheromones on the coat!”

“Have you fucking checked it?!”

“Yeah, I did!”

“Bullshit! I’ve been with you this entire fucking time, you liar!”

“Don’t call me a liar!”

“Well, you fucking are!”

“You fucking—” Shizuo stepped toward him.

“Wanna fucking fight again?! I’m not scared of you!”

“You’re asking for it—”

Shizuo’s words died.

“What, you scared—”

“Sssh!”

“Don’t shoosh me!”

“No, shoosh, listen.”

Roppi glared at him but fell silent.

And in the distance, they could hear the faint sound of a siren.

* * *

 

“Orihara-san! I found your key!”

“Eh?”

The raven rushed over to the albino. He held up another hotel key, only this one wasn’t broken like Izaya’s.

“So, we’re in the right place. That’s good to know.”

With that confirmed, Izaya turned to the key slots. Or maybe they were mailboxes. Izaya couldn’t tell. He could only assume they were meant for the keys since they had corresponding room numbers on the plaques underneath. The left side was closed so he opened it.

And exposed a piece of paper in the last key slot. He grabbed it and unfolded it, exposing another drawing. The drawing was the girl from previous drawings—with long black hair and a dark purple skirt—surrounded by crosses. The whole page was covered in them with orange as the background.

He looked up to see what key slot he took it from.

111

Izaya folded the paper and pocketed it.

“Orihara-san?”

“We’re going to room one-eleven.”

“O-okay…”

Izaya led the way up the steps to the second floor. The two walked down the hall, Tsuki looking at the rooms on the left and Izaya the right.

**_‘107, 109…Eh?’_ **

The door on his side ended with 109. He quickly looked to the left to see the last door on his side was 110. They had reached the end of the hall.

“Eh?”

“Um, Orihara-san, are-are you sure we’re looking for room one-eleven?”

“Yeah.” Izaya looked around.

The raven had noticed the portrait at the end of the hall before but now that he had the time, he paused to look at it. It was an obvious portrait of a witch burning, a woman with orange hair tied to a stake that was on fire. There were people in black clothes in the background, watching the witch burn. In the corner was the strange cross as a signature.

He stared at it, feeling as if he had seen this image before. Maybe not the exact same but he had…

**_‘Oh!’_ **

It finally clicked. One of the drawings he had seen. The one at the school that he couldn’t understand. The girl on the floor of orange.

Izaya reached forwards and grabbed the frame of the painting. He pulled. It unlatched from the wall and swung open like a door. He pushed the portrait away, exposing a door.

Room 111.

Izaya looked over his shoulder at Tsuki, who looked surprised the raven found that.

“Come on. Stay close.”

Tsuki nodded vigorously.

Izaya pulled on the door knob. It wasn’t locked so he twisted and opened it. The door wasn’t hiding a room, but a hallway. However, the hallway was in the building next door, a small gap separating the door from the hallway.

Izaya hopped over, no problem. It wasn’t that big of a gap, after all. He then turned and held his hand out to Tsuki. The blond gripped him and jumped across, as well.

The two continued down the hall, entering a giant room. There were furniture and metal beams everywhere, everything charred and covered in soot.

**_‘There was a fire here. A big one from the amount of damage.’_ **

Izaya looked around, taking in everything he could.

He noticed a little girl looking down at him from a metal catwalk. As soon as they made eye contact, she turned and ran.

“Hey—Hey!” Izaya dashed after her.

“Or-Orihara-san?” Tsuki turned to look at the raven as Izaya ran up the metal steps and over the catwalk.

The girl disappeared from Izaya’s sight despite there being only one path to go so he followed it without a care. He heard Tsuki following him far behind. Izaya rushed down the steps to get off the catwalk and turned left since there was debris blocking his forward path. After turning left, he came across an opening on his right. However, there was only a giant hole, the floor having collapsed and only the metal structure beams remained. Izaya was planning on running past but gentle sobs drew his attention. On the other side of the hole was a small platform of floor. And Izaya could see a small girl hunched down over there, crying by the sound of it.

“Orihara-san!” Tsuki finally caught up, stopping and grabbing Izaya’s arm.

“You see her, right?” Izaya asked without taking his eyes off her.

“Eh?”

Izaya pointed. Tsuki looked.

“Y-yes.”

**_‘So, I’m not imagining her.’_ **

“Stay here.” Izaya ordered.

“Eh?”

Izaya stepped up to the edge of the hole, gaging how far the gap to the first beam was. Once he had it, he jumped.

“Orihara-san!”

Izaya landed, no problem. The beam wobbled precariously. He was forced to kneel and grab it to keep from losing his balance. Once the shaking stopped, Izaya let out a breath of relief and stood.

“Th-that’s dangerous! Orihara-san, come back!”

“Shut up.”

Izaya gaged the distance and leaped.

The second beam was farther than he would like. And the wobbling on his current beam cut his jump short. So Izaya landed on the side of the metal, hooking the toes of his shoes into a hole and grabbing around the top. One leg dangled down but he had a firm grip with the rest of his limbs. He let out a breath of relief before he pulled himself up.

The beam didn’t wobble so it was easy for him to get his balance and stand. He, again, gaged, the distance and leaped. He was able to strafe jump the third beam and landed on the platform.

He let out another breath before looking over his shoulder. Tsuki stood watching him, the tension in his shoulders obvious even from the distance.

He then turned back to what was important.

The girl was pressed in the corner, crying softly while huddled in a ball.

“ _It’s okay._ ” Izaya spoke in English. “ _It’s okay. I won’t hurt you. You’re Alessa, right?_ ”

The girls’ sobs stopped almost automatically as she slowly stood. Izaya watched her carefully. She turned around near sheepishly to face the raven. She looked exactly like the girl in Izaya’s dream: She wore a school girls uniform. Her hair was ragged and matted, hiding a good portion of her face. The only difference was that the dirt that had covered her previously looked more like…blood splatters.

“ _You’re Alessa, right?_ ” Izaya repeated, crouching down to make eye contact with her. “ _You’re the one I’ve been searching for. The one that’s haunted my dreams?_ ”

The girl didn’t answer.

“ _Please, tell me. What do you want from me?_ ”

The girl raised her arms as if to display them.

“ _Look at me._ ” She said.

Suddenly, her arms became ablaze with fire. Izaya’s eye widened.

“ _I’m burning._ ”

The flames flared with intensity, catching fire the curtains behind them. Izaya gasped and stood. The fire spread, consuming the whole room, surrounding the two of them in licks of orange, yellow, and red.

Izaya looked back to Alessa. She was no longer on fire, her arms now by her sides.

“ _Won’t you save me? Won’t you protect me? Won’t you help me?_ ”

Th two were engulfed in flames.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Japan measures in centimeter’s so the only clothing products that are S, M, L are international ones—which I can only assume Shizuo doesn’t buy. What’s more, Japan’s large is America’s medium.
> 
> I gave an educated guess on Shizuo’s measurements based on his size. Japan’s male average is 5’7”, 149lbs. Izaya is 5’9”, 128 lbs. Shizuo is above average at 6’1”, 154 lbs. So, I can only assume he would be a large in America, which makes him an XL in Japan. So, with that in mind, Japan’s XL is 42cm shirt size. I couldn’t find actual confirmation but while researching several charts and websites, I found 81cm as medium and 91cm as large in waist size. So, I can only assume he’s an XL in shirts and between medium and large in pants, Japanese-wise—since healthy men are thinner as they go down.


	18. Chapter 16: Is It Dead?

Izaya gasped loudly. The sight of fire was gone with the blink of his eyes, along with Alessa. The raven panted heavily as if he had just woken from a horrible dream and pushed his bangs out of his face with both hands. A chill went down his spine.

**_‘Alessa…wants me to protect her? A demon wouldn’t need protection. A demon can protect itself. Then what is that? Who is she? A ghost? A premonition?’_ **

Izaya looked around himself to make sure Alessa was truly gone.

**_‘Whatever that was, it vanished.’_ **

“Orihara-san, are-are you alright?”

Izaya looked over his shoulder at the albino blond, who was standing in the same spot looking scared.

“I’m fine.”

**_‘He probably didn’t see any of that.’_ **

“I’m coming back.”

“O-okay.”

Izaya turned to face the beams.

**_‘I need to find the real Alessa. She’ll have all my answers.’_ **

Izaya leapt the first beam easily, standing confidently on it. He then pushed off, this beam not wobbling at all, and landed on the middle beam.

Then, all too suddenly for Izaya to immediately comprehend, something was bombarding him. He let out a short scream and lost his balance out of surprise.

“Orihara-san!”

Izaya managed to fall forward, wrapping his arms around the beam he had been standing on. However, his feet dangled, and he couldn’t pull himself up just yet. He opened his eyes long enough to see what attacked him, what came flying up from the hole beneath him, what was scratching and hitting him. It was a flock of pigeons, desperately trying to fly out of the building through the broken ceiling above him. Izaya tucked his head into his arm to try and protect his face.

When the sound of flapping wings ended, Izaya finally looked up.

“Are-are you okay?” Tsuki called.

“Do I look okay?” Izaya growled.

Tsuki flinched and fell silent.

Izaya scoffed before groaning to pull himself up. Once safely back on the beam, he looked up, as if to glare at the pigeons that were no longer in sight.

**_‘What the hell was that about?’_ **

As if answering his question, a storm siren began going off, echoing around the room they were in.

“Or-Orihara-san…” Tsuki said nervously.

“Shit.”

Izaya looked down at the next beam and leaped. Only this time, he made sure to land on his hands and knees to counteract the wobbling. Once it stopped, he quickly stood and leapt to the intact floor. He landed on his hands and knees again but quickly pushed himself up and grabbed Tsuki’s hand.

“Come on!”

The two immediately began to run back the way they came.

* * *

 

Shizuo and Roppi locked eyes as it registered to both near simultaneously what that siren signaled.

“Run, go.” Shizuo turned Roppi around, who was already in the process of turning anyway, and ushered him to the door. “Go.”

They left the store behind. However, as soon as they entered the main lobby, the whole sky went black. Shizuo grabbed Roppi out of reflex when he could no longer see as he grabbed his flashlight with the other hand. He turned it on and looked around.

The walls were peeling like before, falling to the ground in a wet heap. Doors dissolved away, pieces of the floor crumbled.

“Hey, we can use the fire escape door.” Roppi said as he tugged on Shizuo’s arm.

“Ye-yeah.”

The two turned to do just that.

However, they paused to cover their ears as a piercing screech echoed throughout the mall. They looked over their shoulders. And saw a giant moth fly up from the lobby.

**_‘What the hell?! It was a worm! Not a caterpillar—’_ **

The moth screeched again, flapping its humongous wings to stay airborne. The wind from the movement was powerful enough to push the two Asians. Their shoes skidded across the ground, Shizuo wrapping his arm around Roppi’s waist to keep him steady.

Then the moth charged them. Shizuo reacted before thinking and pushed Roppi to the ground, landing on top of him. The moth reached for them, but was too big to fit in the hall, especially since they were lying down. So, with another screech of rage, the moth was forced to turn around and return to the lobby.

“Get…off of…me!” Roppi said in a strained voice.

Shizuo obeyed, sitting up on his hands and knees. Roppi pulled himself out from under the blond only slightly before Shizuo was sitting on his knees and pulling him up. The blond pushed himself to his feet, grabbed Roppi’s arm, and pulled him to this feet. The blond was running and forcing Roppi to run.

“Let go—get off!” Roppi yelled as he was leaning more on Shizuo than running.

The blond pushed Roppi in front of him. The raven stumbled and managed to keep himself afoot. Within three steps, he regained his balance and was running to the door, Shizuo following closely.

They both heard the moth screech again. But neither decided to turn around to see what it was doing.

Roppi pushed through the fire escape, a alarm going off—to both of their surprise. But neither worried about it as the two turned the corner to head down the stairs.

Shizuo flashed his light pass Roppi. Then gasped.

“Roppi, stop!”

Shizuo reached out and grabbed the raven’s arm, slamming his feet into the ground to stop himself. Roppi jolted back with Shizuo but not before one of his feet met empty air. However, he merely fell into a sitting position with his leg dangling off. The staircase leading down was completely gone, nothing but blackness was left.

“Shit.” Shizuo cursed as he looked around.

“There might be a fire escape outside.” Roppi said as he scrambled back and stood.

“Up it is then!”

Shizuo grabbed Roppi’s wrist and ran up the steps.

* * *

 

Izaya came to a screeching stop once they entered the hallway. The building they originally came from was on fire. There was no way they could go that way.

“Or-Orihara-san…”

“Shut up.” Izaya turned around and went back inside.

The darkness had completely consumed the room. The raven turned on his flashlight and quickly looked around for another exit.

Instead of an exit, he found Alessa.

Or at least the guise he had been seeing this entire time. The little girl was standing on the catwalk, looking down at the two of them.

Not to Izaya’s surprise, as soon as the two made eye contact, Alessa turned and ran. Izaya gave chase without hesitation.

“Orihara-san!” Tsuki ran after them. “Don-don’t leave me behind! Please!”

Izaya rushed up the catwalk, shining his light around to try and find her. He spotted her streak of movement running in front of him, off the catwalk and through a door that wasn’t there before.

Izaya followed quickly with Tsuki on his heels.

* * *

 

Shizuo burst through the door of the roof with Roppi closely behind him. The raven slammed the door shut while Shizuo looked around. Most of the roof was a glass dome, working as a skylight for the mall. But there was cement structure around it that they could walk on. There was a water tower on their left, and streams of huge pipes leading over the edge. The blond flashed his light around to look for the desired fire escape.

However, his search was cut short as the glass dome shattered in an array of metal beams and shards of glass. Shizuo turned and shielded Roppi out of reflex. Something—a beam—slammed into Shizuo’s shoulder. The blond cringed in pain before he shrugged the beam off.

Followed closely by the destruction of the dome was the ear-splitting screech neither wanted to hear. Shizuo quickly looked over his shoulder.

The blond was immediately grabbed by giant insect legs. Shizuo screamed as his feet left the ground. Roppi’s eyes widened as the two were separated. The moth had Shizuo in its grasp and was flying away.

The blond kicked and squirmed. “Let me go!”

The moth only screeched.

Seeing he was only getting farther from the roof, Shizuo decided getting violent was his only option. With a roar of rage, Shizuo wrapped his arms around the closest leg and pulled. There was a sickening pop and the insect screeched. Shizuo only pulled more and more until the limb popped off with an array of red blood following. The screech turned into a shriek as all other legs released him.

Shizuo dropped the limb and gasped as he began to freefall. He let out a short scream when he realized he was going to fall into the empty dome. He was already a story off the ground, if he fell into the lobby not even he knew if he’d survive. So, he quickly reached out and grabbed a broken beam. His chest slammed against the metal, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to cough. But he kept his grip, wrapping his arms around it.

Another screech drew his attention to the sky. The moth was divebombing him.

**_‘Shit!’_ **

A loud bang sounded and a hole appeared in the moth’s wing. The insect shrieked yet again and careened to the side as if off balance. The bug missed Shizuo completely and was forced to land on the roof.

Shizuo looked over to see Roppi had pulled out his gun, which was aimed at the insect. The moth turned its furry head to glare at Roppi. The raven didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger three more times, all three bullets disappearing in the huge target. One in the head, one in the shoulder, and the last in the same wing as before.

Roppi pulled the trigger one last time to hear the gun click. The raven’s eyes widened before he pulled the gun back and began unloading the empty clip.

The moth let out an outright roar as it pushed off and charged Roppi.

Shizuo reached quickly, pushing himself up into a jump. He managed to wrap his arms around the Moth’s neck. Unbalanced, the moth tilted to the side Shizuo was on, allowing the blonde’s feet to touch the cement. Shizuo dug his feet into the ground, the structure caving in around his shoes with how hard he was pushing. The moth screeched as its side skidded against the beams.

The blond held onto the neck tightly. He skidded to a stop a foot or two in front of Roppi. The moth struggled in his hold, kicking and trying to roll over to use his wings and even trying to bite him. Roppi quickly backed away, tripping backwards to fall on his rump. Now on the ground, Roppi pulled a clip out of his pocket and shakily tried to put it into the butt of the gun.

“Shoot it!” Shizuo yelled, trying to hold the beast still. “Shoot it in the head!”

Roppi finally loaded the gun. He pulled the top of the pistol back, giving a satisfying click to indicate it was loaded. The raven pointed the gun, his hand moving to follow the movement of the moth. However, he hesitated.  Shizuo knew why. If the moth moved the wrong time, it would be Shizuo taking the bullet to the brain instead of the monster. But time was running short.

“Hurry, Roppi!” Shizuo screamed. “I can’t hold on much longer!”

The raven knitted his brow in a scowl, clenching his teeth. His hand continued to follow the moth’s movement. And finally, he fired.

The moth’s head jerked back with a shriek. Shizuo was forced to let it go as it shook its head and fell back. Shizuo jumped over to Roppi. The moth rolled into the glass dome in its flurry of movements. There was a brief echo of the moth’s screech before the whole building shook, a loud thud also echoing through the mall.

Shizuo stood panting as he stared at the dome. Only silence resounded up the hole. The blond looked at Roppi then back to the dark chasm. He turned on his flashlight and carefully, cautiously, walked over. He heard Roppi following.

Shizuo knelt down and peered over the edge.

Suddenly, a gaping mouth filled with sharp teeth shot up towards Shizuo’s face. The moth was still alive—Shizuo could see the bullet imbedded in its right eye—and was extremely pissed. The insect was out for blood and revenge and Shizuo was the closet one. The blond jolted back with a scream as he put his arms up in defense.

Another shot went off. The moth jerked its head back with a screech as blood sprayed. Shizuo scrambled away during its distraction and rushed over to Roppi.

The raven had his gun at the ready, again, and was holding it steady, pointed at the moth. Once the moth stopped moving, turning back to glare at them, Roppi fired again. The moth shrieked, this time stumbling and falling on its side. Roppi pulled the trigger again. The moth jolted again, this time a small trill coming out as it folded its wings and legs in.

The raven fired one last time. The bullet disappeared in the center of its head. The moth jerked its head back once again, the last momentum needed to roll it back into the broken dome. Only silence followed until the mall shook again with another loud thud. Then, all was quiet.

“Is it over?” Shizuo asked. “Is it—is it dead?”

Shizuo looked up at Roppi.

His eyes widened.

The raven was pointing the gun at Shizuo’s face.

“…Roppi…?” Shizuo breathed.

He pulled the trigger.

* * *

 

Izaya burst through the door, the metal swinging and slamming against the wall. He had followed Alessa through the door, which had led to a staircase. The raven saw her heading up and so he continued after her. To which he came across another door, leading to where he was now—on the roof of the building he was just in.

He looked around frantically for the girl.

**_‘Even if she isn’t the real Alessa, she still holds all the answers I need. I have to keep her safe if I want to know why I’m here—’_ **

Someone slammed into him hard from behind. His head jerked back from the sudden impact before he fell forward on his chest with a heavy weight on his back.

“I-I’m sorry!” Tsuki called.

“You trying to give me whiplash?!” Izaya yelled, rolling over and pushing Tsuki hard. “Get off me, you moron!”

Tsuki fell on his side harshly. The blond winced in pain. Izaya just glared at him briefly before he stood and looked around.

The roof only had a ventilation system curving up and back down into the ceiling as the only coverage—besides the small cubical that made up the doorway. Meaning there were only two places Alessa could be hiding. He allotted to look behind the vent first since it was closer to the fire escape.

“Alessa?!” Izaya called as he rushed over.

And there she was, sitting huddled on the floor like before. But this time, no form of sobs were coming from her. She was completely silence.

“ _Alessa, are you okay?_ ” Izaya asked, kneeling down. “ _You’re not hurt, are you?_ ”

She looked up to him. She didn’t reply, only stared.

“ _Come on. Let’s get somewhere safe._ ” Izaya held his hand out to her.

Alessa looked at the offering in silence.

Then her eyes widened before she turned and ran.

“ _Ah, wait—_ ”

Something hard slammed into Izaya’s temple. The pain was sudden and searing, making him see pure white before his head met the concrete of the roof floor.

**_‘Wha-what…happened?’_ **

“God, you are such a dick, you know that?”

**_‘Tsuki…shima…?’_ **

“Here I am, this poor little lost soul. Doesn’t have a clue where I am or what’s going on. Meets up with you and thinks, gee, at least I’m not alone.”

“Tsu…ki…”

“But as it turns out, I am alone. Cuz you don’t care about me a wit, do you? You’d rather chase after some apparition, some little girl like a god damn pedophile!”

A foot slammed into Izaya’s stomach. He hacked, his eyes going wide. The raven coughed as the wind was knocked out of him.

“You didn’t care about me at all! You just left me in the water to drown cuz you’d rather talk to the girls on the beach! I’m lost and scared and you couldn’t give two shits about me, could you?!”

Izaya was kicked again, winding him a second time, before he was rolled on his back with the no-longer timid blond sitting over him. A fist connected to his cheek, then another on his other side, and another, and another.

“Tsu—sto—” Izaya could only get fragments of sentences out before he was punched again and again and again. The raven couldn’t even defend himself since Tsuki was sitting on his arms.

Finally, the blond got off him. Izaya coughed up blood as he rolled over. He was fairly certain his jaw was crooked and two of his teeth felt gone. His right eye was starting to swell shut already.

Tsuki kicked Izaya again, a heavy groan escaping his lips.

“Is Alessa so important to you that no one else matters? Not even your Shizuo friend who I look so much alike?”

Izaya’s eyes widened. **_‘How does he know about Shizuo?’_**

“If that’s the case then I should do us all a favor and get rid of her, shouldn’t I?”

“Wha—” Izaya tried to get up, only for his arms to give out.

“Yeah, I think I’ll do just that. She’s the only reason you’re here, so I’d bet it’d make you suffer if I killed her.”

Tsuki walked away from Izaya, the sound of his feet crunching on the gravel deafening.

“N-no, Tsu-ki, do-don’t.”

Alessa screamed.

“Don’t!”


End file.
